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Positive County Government Measures and MAS Legislative Priority Measures Survive First Major Deadline
Infrastructure:
House Bill 774: MS Mobile Sport Wagering Act. Diverts a 12% fee to the Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Fund (ERBR). This measure currently resides in the Senate Gaming Committee.
Purchasing:
Senate Bill 2699: This measure provides that no requisition to purchase, purchase order or receiving report shall be required for the purchase of any item or services with an acquisition cost of not more than five thousand dollars. NOTE: This measure is currently on the Senate Floor Calendar.
House Bill 1421: This measure revises the public purchasing law to provide that purchases of less than ten thousand dollars may be made without advertising or otherwise requesting competitive bids. In addition, this measure provides that no requisition to purchase, purchase order or receiving report shall be required for the purchase of any item or services with an acquisition cost of not more than five thousand dollars. NOTE: This measure now resides on the House Floor Calendar.
Inmate Medicaid Reimbursement:
House Bill 757: This measure provides for conditions under which state offenders may serve sentences in county jails. Counties shall not be responsible for no more than the Medicaid Reimbursement Rate regarding medical cost for pretrial detainees and state prisoners within the language of this bill. This measure is a repealer extension. This measure has passed the House Floor Chamber and will now head to the Senate for consideration.
Senate Bill 2700: This measure provides for conditions under which state offenders may serve sentences in county jails. Counties shall not be responsible for no more than the Medicaid Reimbursement Rate regarding medical cost for pretrial detainees and state prisoners within the language of this bill. This measure is a repealer deletion. This measure currently resides on the Senate Floor Calendar.
Broadband Exemption Measure:
House Bill 1091 This measure requires the speed for broadband equipment to have a minimum speed of twenty-five (25) megabits per second downlink and three (3) megabits per second uplink. In addition, it limits the current ad valorem exemption on broadband equipment from 100% exemption to 30% exemption. This measure currently resides on the House Floor Calendar.
College Foundation Exemption:
Senate Bill 2697: This measure provides that the ad valorem tax exemption for property belonging to university, college, community college and junior college foundation applies to property that is used exclusively and directly for educational ad outreach purposes and not leased or otherwise used to generate revenue. This measure currently resides on the Senate Floor Calendar. NOTE: Please contact your local Senate delegation and request support for 2697.
Construction Permitting:
House Bill 331: This measure authorizes counties and municipalities to choose not to be subject to requirements for permitting as a condition to construction. This measure has passed the House Floor Chamber and currently resides in the Senate County Affairs Committee.
Senate Bill 2923: This measure allows certain counties to opt out of requiring permitting as a condition to construction within the unincorporated areas of a county and it allows certain municipalities to opt out of requiring permitting as a condition to construction within the municipality’s jurisdiction. This measure currently resides on the Senate Floor calendar.
Notice of Special Call Meetings:
Senate Bill 2502: This measure shortens the requirement for notice of special meetings of county boards of supervisors from five days to three days. This bill currently resides on the Senate Floor Calendar.
Calculating Use Tax Expenditures:
House Bill 1620: This measure allows for the consideration of previously excluded expenditure items when calculating the amount of county funds expended by the county during the previous county fiscal year. NOTE: This measure has passed the House Floor chamber and will now head to the Senate for consideration.
Electronic Law Library:
House Bill 1149 This measure provides that “in lieu” of printed law books being maintained in the courtrooms and courthouses, such books may be solely maintained in an electronic format. County public law libraries, law books may be solely maintained in an electronic format. This measure has passed the House Floor Chamber and now resides in the Senate County Affairs Committee.
Rural Fire Truck Legislation:
House Bill 308: This measure revises the Rural Fire truck Acquisition Assistance Program by removing one of the criteria requirements of requiring that a county has to have received funding for no more than eight (8) rounds from the program in order to receive rural fire truck assistance. NOTE: This measure has passed both the House County Affairs Committee and the House Accountability, Efficiency, and Transparency Committee. This measure has been transmitted to the Senate for consideration.
House Bill 504: This measure authorizes an additional round of fire trucks for counties and municipalities under the Rural Fire Truck Acquisition Assistance Program. This measure passed the House Floor Chamber by vote of 122 to 0. This measure will now head to the Senate Chamber for consideration.
House Bill 818: Section 5 of this measure increases from one-half of ten percent to one-half of twenty percent for monies diverted to the County Volunteer Fire Department Fund. This measure has passed the House Chamber and will now head to the Senate for consideration.
House Bill 503: Section 1 of this bill appropriates four million ($4,000,000.00) to the Rural Fire Truck Acquisition Assistance Program. Note: No action has been taken on this item.
County Gov't Watchlist Alert: Measures with Potential for County Government Setbacks
County/City Revenue Neutral Measure:
Senate Bill 2901: This measure requires counties and municipalities to provide notice and hearings before exceeding revenue-neutral ad valorem tax rate. This measure currently resides on the Senate Floor Calendar.
Mental Health Measures:
House Bill 1640: This measure revises procedures for screening, evaluation and commitments for those with issues of mental health. This measure currently resides on the House Floor Calendar.
Senate Bill 2744: This measure requires certain oversight measures by the Department of Mental Health for community health centers. This measure currently resides on the Senate Floor Calendar.
Weight Limit Measure:
Senate Bill 2644: This measure extends the weight category for the harvest permit license tag holder. Section 1 of this measure increases the harvest permit weight threshold from 84,000 pounds to 88,000 pounds.
Upcoming Deadline:
The Tenth week of the 2024 Regular Legislative Session is now complete. The deadline for committees to report general bills and constitutional amendments originating in OWN HOUSE has passed. The deadline for original Floor Action on general bills and constitutional amendments originating in own House is Thursday March 14th.
*Copyright. All Rights Reserved
Authors, Steve Gray and Derrick Surrette
HOUSE & SENATE will reconvene on Monday at 4pm.
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