Committee removes immediate Maguire fee increase, asks for annual reporting and recommendations

The committee reopened LD 519 and voted to remove an immediate increase in the per-member-per-month assessment. Representative John ("John") Morris moved to take out the assessment increase and replace it with a statutory requirement that Maguire and supervising officials report annually to the legislature with recommendations on assessment levels and structural changes.

Committee staff said Maguire already files annual reports and the amendment would expand that reporting obligation to include funding recommendations. Staff also indicated the superintendent retains authority to calculate equivalent assessment amounts under current statute and reassured members that subsection 2 (transfer of funding) would be unaffected by the change. Representative Morris framed the motion as a request for a deliberative, evidence-based approach rather than an immediate fee imposition; the motion passed 11–0.

What happens next: staff will draft the technical language to replace the assessment language with the reporting requirement, and the committee closed the work session on LD 519.