Lawmakers review ethanol, gun-storage and child-care tax credits while negotiating package

Staff briefed conferees on multiple tax-credit provisions under consideration for inclusion in the package. They described the ethanol fuel credit as a 5-cent-per-gallon credit for E15 or higher ethanol blends sold at retail, capped at $2.5 million per year and available for tax years 2026–2028; if claim totals exceed the cap, the credit would be apportioned among claimants according to their proportionate share. That apportionment mechanism was cited as an improvement over a first-come, first-served approach that had previously concerned some members.

Staff also explained a lockable gun-and-ammunition-storage credit: a 25% credit on qualifying expenditures up to $250 per taxpayer per year for purchases designed principally for secure firearm/ammunition storage; the transcript says the credit applies for tax years 2026–2028 and may carry forward for an individual taxpayer under rules described by staff.

Members discussed a child-care tax credit. One member said the program exists with a $3 million cap on the fiscal note and expressed concern about refundability (saying they ``have heartburn'' about refundability), though the Senate position favors the credit. Participants agreed to review parameters and fiscal impacts with analysts; the group also discussed extending RAZ provisions for two years but noted funding for the educational component was not confirmed in the meeting.

Participants noted SB 498 contains a package of credit repeals (including an agritourism liability-insurance credit and other targeted credits) and that SB 82 might carry several of the tax-credit changes. Committee members expressed willingness to keep the ethanol credit in the vehicle so long as the apportionment and caps address earlier concerns; one member said they still had reservations but were willing to proceed.

No formal recorded votes are in the transcript; conferees planned follow-up with fiscal analysts and revisers to reconcile caps, carryforwards and refundability language before final action.

Next steps: staff and fiscal analysts to confirm caps, carryforward rules and fiscal notes; revisers to draft language for the chosen vehicle and the committee to reconvene.