Senate adopts committee substitute for bill to repeal 22 obsolete commissions; final passage set by afternoon roll call

A senator on the floor presented a committee substitute to Senate Bill 2017, described as legislation to repeal a list of 22 boards and commissions that the sponsor said appear to be inactive or no longer meeting statutory requirements. The sponsor told senators the bill had moved through the government structure committee and invited questions about any board on the list.

Senator Norwood asked whether any money was due or had been expended under the bill’s section 15, asking, “Now are we due any money or no money was allocated or expended in there?” The sponsor replied that he would check with appropriations staff but noted that the substitute lists $47,000 and that, because the commission in question had not been meeting, he anticipated the funds had not been spent.

After brief discussion, the Senate approved a motion to adopt the committee substitute on a voice vote. The sponsor then moved for final passage and requested an afternoon roll call; with no objections, the bill passed by that roll call.

The presentation on the floor characterized the measure as a housekeeping effort to remove obsolete entities from statute; the sponsor invited follow-up if senators wanted to question specific entries on the list. The clerk read the bill title on the record as "Senate Bill 2017 various obsolete commissions repeal."

The Senate took no on-the-record tally in the excerpt available here; the transcript records the substitute’s adoption by voice vote and final passage by an afternoon roll call. The sponsor indicated staff would confirm appropriation details for the $47,000 listed in the substitute. The Senate then moved to announcements and later recessed until the last bill was filed, to reconvene at 10:00 a.m. the following day.