On Feb. 11, the conference committee voted to amend a bill to add a new subsection assigning an advisory board a role in collaborating with the department to manage fiduciary responsibilities associated with certification and regulation of water-well contractors, water-well pump and pitless-unit installers, monitoring-well contractors and geothermal-system drillers.

The change would insert a new subparagraph D under the advisory board provision to “collaborate with the department to manage the fiduciary responsibilities of certification regulation of water well contractors, water well pump and pitless unit installers, monitoring well contractors, and geothermal system drillers,” language read aloud during the meeting.

The amendment drew at least one procedural question about the scope of the change and why an electrical board was referenced in related materials. Chair Rorsch summarized the intended effect on fiscal oversight: “This gives them input into how it is used. Okay. Yep. That’s the fiduciary responsibilities.” Representative Carls said she had contacted the electrical board, which “was puzzled as to why they were mentioned.”

Committee members discussed the motion process and internal amendment numbering during the meeting. Committee staff confirmed the conference committee amendment would be recorded as the committee’s recommendation in place of the house amendments (identified in the discussion by amendment/version numbers 3004 and 3005). A first motion to further amend was made by Senator Lee and seconded by Senator Barta; that procedural motion was adopted by voice vote. A subsequent motion making the conference committee amendment the final recommendation — described in the meeting as “in place of the house amendments adopted by the house, the bill is amended by the conference committee amendment” — was moved by Senator Barta and seconded by Representative Carls and approved on a roll-call vote recorded by the clerk.

The roll call recorded the following votes: Chair Rorsch — Aye; Senator Barta — Aye; Senator Lee — No; Representative Bail — Yes; Representative Carls — Yes; Representative Sandram — No. Committee discussion included concerns about creating or restoring advisory boards in future sessions; one member said they worried the change might prompt additional advisory-board requests next session, though members also noted some boards previously being eliminated had little work to do.

The committee adjourned after adopting the conference committee amendment and completing the roll call. The bill and its amended language will be transmitted as the committee’s recommendation for the next steps in the legislative process.