
KPA Weekly Legislative Update
General Statehouse Update January 24, 2025
The House Appropriations Committee has stated that it hopes to complete the budget by Feb. 13th. Time will tell if that deadline is met, and what it takes to get there.
The Legislature Makes the Rules
Every two years, both chambers approve the Joint Rules for the biennium, and each chamber approves its own rules after the election. This week, a fairly typical process was anything but in the House.
For the first time since 2013, the Midnight Rule was not included in the House’s rules. The Midnight Rules states that no debates can occur from midnight to 8 am, and came about after Rep. Bob Bethell died in a car crash in 2012 while driving home after a series of late-night sessions. In recent years, this rule has been repeatedly suspended, usually at the end of a session, to pass significant and controversial legislation into the early hours of the morning, including the tax package passed in 2024.
Shelter Sales Tax Bill Introduced
On Wednesday, January 22, KPA Lobbyist Reily Goyne requested the introduction of bills exempting shelters and rescue networks from paying sales tax. The same version of the bill was requested in both the Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee (SB 59) and House Taxation Committee (HB 2077).
KPA is working with both Committee chairs to have hearings soon and will keep you informed. However, now is the time to begin working on testimony informing legislators how removing sales tax payments would impact your services to your communities. If you would like assistance writing testimony, please contact Reily Goyne.