Legislative Updates 2024: March 4 - 8

Highlights:

• At the halfway point in the legislative session, a review of our priorities
• News on the Ten-Year Energy Transformation Act (H.5118)
• Hearing on TDR bill (H.4996) sparks robust debate
• Budget Week begins, catch up on last week’s budget briefing

Greetings!

Last week marked the halfway point in the Legislative Session. With the election of the new Supreme Court Chief Justice John Kittredge, ratification of acts, and several important subcommittee hearings, it was a busy week at the Statehouse.

Read below for a review of our priorities as we enter the last half of session. You thought it was busy before? Now, lawmakers, staff, and advocates trying to advance bills are about to head into the final sprint of the two-year legislative session.

Missed last week’s spotlight on a new bill (H.4996) that promotes Transferable Development Rights programs to help balance growth? You can read that update here.

Legislative Halfway Point: Where our priorities stand

Crossed the finish line

• Working Agricultural Lands Preservation Act (H.3951): ratified last week and headed to the Governor’s desk!
• Endangered Species Data Protection Act (H.4047): ratified last week and headed to the Governor’s desk!

Almost there

• Trails Tax Credit Bill (H.3121): passed the House and the Senate Finance Committee. We expect the full Senate to take up this bill in the next week or two. 

Needs a lift 

• The NPDES Sign Bill (H.4958/S.999) was taken up two weeks ago by a House Agriculture Subcommittee, but the bill was carried over so the Subcommittee could continue discussion on the bill. The Senate Agriculture Committee will take up the Senate version of the bill (S.999) in a Subcommittee meeting this Wednesday, March 13.
• The Transferable Development Rights (TDR) bill (H.4996) was taken up last Wednesday by a House 3M Subcommittee, but was carried over so that the Subcommittee could answer questions raised by members (read below for more details).
• Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy and Resiliency (C-PACE) Bill (S.3937): passed the Senate last year and needs a hearing in the House LCI Committee.
• Heirs’ Property Commission Bill (S.436): passed the Senate last year and needs a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee.
• Alternative Fuel Tax Credit (H.3824): passed the House last year and needs a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee.
• Solar Property Tax Exemption (H.3948): passed the House and needs a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee.

News from the Statehouse

The week began with a House LCI Public Utilities Subcommittee hearing, where Chairman Jay West (Belton) announced plans for amendments to the Ten-Year Energy Transformation Act (H.5118) after the subcommittee had reflected on much of the testimony delivered by advocates and members of the public. We will keep a close eye on the development of these amendments but are hopeful that these changes signal a willingness to listen to the concerns of the public. You can watch the hearing here to learn more about the amendment and listen to the discussion about next steps.

As mentioned above, the House 3M Subcommittee hearing on the TDR bill (H.4996) sparked a robust discussion on the merits of smart growth planning (I encourage you to watch the hearing recording). Ultimately, the bill was carried over after questions were raised about the potential for unintended consequences. You can read more about this bill from last week’s deep dive here.

The Week Ahead

House Budget Week is already underway, which usually means long days debating the Appropriations Bill (H.5100) on the House Floor. We’ll keep a close eye on it as the process unfolds to ensure budget provisions that prioritize conservation and agency funding remain.

In preparation for this week’s House floor votes, the House Ways and Means Committee hosted a budget briefing Thursday. You can access the presentation slides here, access additional budget documents here, and learn more about our budget priorities here.

Wednesday (3/13), 9:00 am: the Senate Finance Health & Human Services Subcommittee will hear from the Department of Environmental Services on their budget request.

Wednesday (3/13), 12:00 pm: the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee will consider the Senate version of the NPDES Sign Bill (S.999).

Be on the lookout for additional opportunities to get involved throughout the Legislative Session and learn more about the issues that affect our daily lives. We’ll continue to keep you informed on their progress and ways to get involved throughout the legislative session! 

Until next week...

Megan Chase-Muller
State Policy Director
mchase@upstateforever.org

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