A House subcommittee declined to report HB 15 77, a bill that would have required a centralized electronic reporting system for locality reporting requirements and created an unfunded mandate review task force.

Delegate Patrick Williams, the bill's patron, said the measure would let localities submit proposals to a task force that could recommend alternatives to implementing unfunded state mandates. The task force would meet quarterly, review proposals within 90 days, monitor approved alternatives, and submit an annual report to the General Assembly.

Benjamin Knox, legislative director for Americans for Prosperity, said the bill originated from feedback from school board members, city councils and supervisors about the burden of unfunded mandates and difficult reporting. Knox told the subcommittee the task force would review vendors and technologies to centralize reporting for localities.

The Home Builders Association expressed concern that a provision allowing delay of implementation of a new state mandate could slow land-use actions, potentially delaying housing-related ordinances for up to a year.

Committee members raised technical and process questions: how local proposals would be submitted, whether the task force replacing the Department of Planning and Budget (DPB) in some roles would affect the fiscal impact statement, and whether the task force could effectively challenge General Assembly actions. After discussion and a request for clarification, the committee took no motion to report and the clerk announced "this bill fails report." No formal vote to table or report was recorded.