February 21, 2025
The General Assembly observed "forecast snowmageddon," leaving the Legislative Building as empty as on a holiday break. Votes and substantive committee hearings were pushed to next week.
New bills are still pouring in, with interesting ones that include:
- H130, Agriculture Crops Disaster Relief, which will be part of the cohort of bills responding to Hurricane Helene.
- H131, Reenact Solar Tax Credits, sponsored by 34 Democrats, would reenact a 35 percent tax credit for construction, purchase, or lease of qualifying solar energy equipment.
The House has put H47, Disaster Recovery Act of 2025 - Part I, on its calendar for a chamber vote Tuesday. Also, there are a few notable House committee meetings planned (note that schedules may change):
- 11 am Tuesday: House Regulatory Reform Committee will hear presentations from the Association of Homebuilders, Office of Administrative Hearings, and the Retail Merchants Associations.
- 1 pm Tuesday: House Judiciary 1 has scheduled discussion on H62, Farmer Protection Act, that we flagged last week. It would ban financial institutions from rejecting loan applications or cancelling loans to farmers because of environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies.
- 3 pm Wednesday: House Energy and Public Utilities Committee will hear from utility company representatives.