By Vivian Parsons, Executive Director

Today is the last day for the House to pass House Bills and the Senate to pass Senate Bills.  Any bill not passed by its house of origin, is a dead bill.

The County Official Pay Raise bill (SB 168) is still in Senate Finance and most likely dead.  It is highly unlikely that the committee would meet, pass the bill, send it to the floor, suspend rules and read the bill three times in one day and pass it.  The only hope now would be if some bill dealing with the same section of the code is still alive that the raise could be amended into, again, not likely.

SB 347 - the Transfer tax bill is also dead in Senate Finance.  The committee did pass a version (SB 526) that we will continue to follow.  SB 526 does NOT return any of the transfer tax now collected and sent to the State, but rather gives permissive authority to County Commissioners to impose an "additional" transfer tax up to $1.10 per $500 of transfer, that would be dedicated to regional jails and drug prevention/treatment programs.  This would work like the current authority allowing County Commissioners to impose an additional transfer tax for farmland prevention.

I have attached a list of those bills of County interest that have passed one house or the other and those that will likely pass today.  I'll go through tonight and give you a better picture of what's left and where it lands, by Friday!  Now, I'm off to the capital for "CROSS-OVER DAY!"  More later....