Senate Ag & Natural Resources committee advances multiple bills in executive session

The Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee considered a slate of bills in an executive session and recommended multiple measures for further consideration.

Committee staff presented brief reports on each bill before the caucus recess. After returning, the committee moved a number of bills—including Senate Bill 5816 (adds juice grapes to the Agricultural Marketing and Fair Practices Act), SB 5971 (green fertilizer incentive), SB 6097 (tribes in conservation futures), SB 6216 (timber sale efficiencies), SB 6233 (fee adjustments related to earlier initiative-based fines), SB 6318 (caps on shellfish fees) and Senate Joint Memorial 8015 (federal wildfire response)—and recommended them either to the Rules Committee or to the Ways & Means Committee, as appropriate.

Not all items were advanced; the Chair announced no action would be taken on SB 5930 and SB 5960 at this meeting. Fiscal notes reported during staff presentations included: $5,946 in the current year for SB 5816, about $295,000 over four years for SB 5971, about $34,000 to implement SB 6097, and an estimated $4.7 million over four years for the shellfish-fee caps (SB 6318) with the Department of Health assuming general-fund coverage. Several bills were recorded as "passed subject to signature." The committee adjourned after confirming actions on all executive-session items.