Committee considers emergency management bill; members flag concerns about 'whole communities' wording

The Senate Committee on Government Operations discussed H935, an emergency management bill, during its May 12 meeting. The chair introduced draft 2.1 and said members had received a section-by-section overview; committee counsel (identified in the transcript as Attorney Gland) was offered to walk members through the changes.

The chair asked for a motion to move the bill. A committee member moved to pass favorably draft 2.1 (described on the record as a strike-all). The transcript records that a roll call was conducted and several senators responded "Yes" (the transcript records affirmative responses from Senator Morley, Senator Yoski and Senator White), but the excerpt does not contain a complete, named tally or a formal announcement of the final vote total.

Senator Vhovk raised the primary substantive concern: the draft replaces the House’s explicit list with a "whole communities" formulation. She said the definition of "whole communities" as drafted could leave some groups out of the statute’s protections or programs and that, while she had "reasonable faith" in the department's current leadership under Eric to carry out inclusive work, she wants language in a future bill to ensure that work is codified. Committee members agreed to return to the topic in a subsequent bill or amendment.

Attorney Gland was noted as available to walk members through the draft, and staff were asked to provide a clean, non–highlighted copy of draft 2.1 for reporting. Members also divided reporting responsibilities for the bill text: one senator agreed to report sections 1–6, another 7–11, and a third from section 12 to the end.

The meeting transcript shows procedural movement on H935 and recorded affirmative roll-call replies, but it does not include a complete formal vote tally or an explicit, final statement that the committee officially reported the bill out. The committee indicated it will revisit the "whole communities" language in a future bill or amendment and staff will circulate clean materials for the reporters preparing the committee report.