Committee passes Secretary of State elections‑administration bill to match omnibus language

The Senate Elections Committee recommended Senate File 4006 to the Senate floor March 26 after adopting amendments to align the stand‑alone Secretary of State bill with the recently amended omnibus.

Nicole Freeman of the Office of the Secretary of State testified that the provisions carried in the omnibus also appear in SF4006 and emphasized operational updates such as allowing municipalities flexibility on absentee in‑person voting days and standardizing the use of the statewide voter registration system across jurisdictions.

Committee members adopted the AE11 amendment on disclaimer language and other technical conforming changes and voted to recommend SF4006 to the floor by roll call (six yeas, five nays). The chair said the purpose of taking SF4006 as a standalone bill was to ensure the Secretary of State’s proposals are dual‑tracked to the floor and to provide a version that matches the omnibus language for consideration.

The committee’s action will send both bills forward to the full Senate; members noted further floor discussion is likely. The record does not specify additional funding or an exact effective date for the standalone bill beyond the standard legislative process.