House panel approves penalties for abusive towing practices

The House Appropriations Committee approved Senate Bill 779, which provides penalties for abusive towing practices, and referred the measure to the full House.

Executive Director (name not specified) summarized the bill for members, saying the measure “provides for penalties for abusive towing practices.” Chairman Harris ordered a roll call; after votes were recorded the chair announced, “Seeing that the ayes have it, Senate Bill 779 will pass the committee” and said it would be referred to the House floor.

Why it matters: SB779 seeks to impose penalties on towing practices the bill classifies as abusive; the committee’s approval moves the measure to floor consideration where it could be debated or amended further.

Vote and next steps: The committee announced the bill would be referred to the full House. The transcript records the chair’s announcement that the ayes prevailed but does not include a full named roll-call tally in the public excerpt.