Rules Committee approves multiple subcommittee substitutes and reports bills including car-tax study resolution

The House Rules Committee unanimously agreed to a series of subcommittee substitutes and then reported a block of legislation during its meeting.

Committee members approved subcommittee substitutes for House Bill 231, House Bill 433, House Bill 1188 and others by voice vote. HB 231, which the committee described as addressing the autism advisory council’s name, membership, staffing, powers and duties, was reported and referred to the Committee on Appropriations with the clerk announcing "Ayes 17, no 0."

The committee then moved as a block to report several measures (including HB 264, HB 371, HB 431, HB 433 as substituted, HB 544, HB 860, HB 1188 as substituted, House Joint Resolutions 16 and 18, and House Resolution 4); the clerk recorded the block vote as "Ayes 17, no 0."

Members also advanced House Joint Resolution 34, which the subcommittee recommended to report on options for qualifying vehicles and studying ways to abolish the car tax; the clerk recorded that measure as reported with the roll call announced as "Ayes 11 0 6."

Finally, the committee voted to continue two study items to the 2027 session — HB 607 (aggregate air pollution) and HB 26 (Veterans Service Protection Act), both sponsored by Delegate Laufer — and then adjourned.

No fiscal notes, amendment texts, or membership changes for reported study task forces were detailed during the meeting; several matters were advanced "as substituted."