Senators approve House Bill 36-21 to centralize Commerce data for transparency

Senators voted 6-0 to pass House Bill 36-21, a measure supporters said will centralize data from the Department of Commerce to improve transparency and streamline access to numerical information.

Sponsor Senator Thompson said the bill aims to collect and store Commerce data in one place so lawmakers and staff can more easily compare and use figures. "What this is going to do is just ensure that all the data is aggregated in a central location, for just better transparency in in numbers for us to use," she said.

The clerk called the roll before the vote. The record shows 'aye' responses from Senator Fricks, Senator Gillespie, Senator Green, Minority Leader Kurt, Vice Chair Coleman and Chairwoman Thompson, producing a 6-0 tally. The presiding officer declared House Bill 36-21 passed.

The transcript does not record the name of the member who moved or seconded the motion to pass HB 36-21, nor does it show additional debate on the measure. No formal amendments or conditions were recorded in the session. The panel proceeded directly to explanation and consideration of the next bill.

The body returned to other business after the vote and subsequently took up House Bill 36-22.