March 1, 2021 Group Watch: News & Views from the State House

• Tuesday, February 23 (7th legislative day): The House Children and Senior Advocacy Committee approved a Senate-passed bill relating to elder abuse and a House-sponsored bill to further define the types of foster family homes. The House County and Municipal Government Committee approved a Senate-passed bill to authorize counties and municipalities to provide solid waste services to the public and to charge and collect fees for the services. The House approved several bills, including bills to provide for sexual assault victim notification and to create the Sexual Assault Survivors Bill of Rights; to establish the Seizure Safe Schools Act; to require a child successfully complete kindergarten before being admitted to first grade; and to revise the bid laws relating to solid waste collection and disposal. The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee approved a bill to further define the types of foster family homes. The Senate debated a number of measures before carrying them over, but passed a bill establishing privacy protections for coronavirus contact tracing.
• Wednesday, February 24 (8th legislative day and a committee day): The House Boards, Agencies and Commissions Committee approved the continuation of 27 state boards, agencies and commissions to include the Onsite Wastewater Board, Home Builders Licensure Board and Interior Designers Board. The House Ways and Means Education Committee approved a bill to exempt airport authorities from sales and use tax. The House Education Policy Committee approved a bill to create a public K-12 Teacher Bill of Rights. The House passed several bills of local application only and a bill to allow class 5 municipalities to place property liens under certain conditions to recover costs of grass and weed abatement. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved bills to grant sovereign immunity to the School of Cyber Technology and Engineering; to expand the expungement of criminal records to include convictions of certain misdemeanor offenses; and to provide for professional services for design professionals. The Senate passed for the third time in as many years a measure to allow use of medical cannabis for certain health conditions.
• Thursday, February 25 (9th legislative day): The House passed 27 bills relating to the continuation of specific boards, agencies, and commissions. They also passed a House-sponsored bill to authorize the Revenue Department to exempt airport authorities from sales and use tax and a Senate-passed bill to require redaction of contract information from court documents released to the public of an elderly person. The Senate passed several bills, including measures to further provide for consumer protection relating to deceptive trade practices and pyramid sale structures; the Building Exceptional School Board Team Act for local boards of education; and to authorize community paramedicine programs through the State Board of Health.

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