After ten hours of debate over three days, the House passed Senate Bill 6130.

Senate Bill 6130 temporarily suspends tax-limiting Initiative 960 in its entirety.  The passage of the bill publicly indicates the House’s intent to raise revenue in the 2009-2011 fiscal biennium.  From the effective date through July 1, 2011, any action or combination of actions by the Legislature that raises taxes may be taken with the approval of a majority of members elected to each house of the Legislature.

Senate Bill 6130 passed in a close vote (51-47) in the House. The close vote in the House mirrored the vote in the Senate (26-22) last week.

Senate Bill 6130 now returns to the Senate for further consideration. The House, in its process, amended the bill by reinstating the public notification requirements for tax and fee increases through July 1, 2011. This portion of current law had been suspended in a floor amendment in the Senate.

The Senate has two options: (1) Concur on the bill, accepting the changes made by the House. The bill would then go to the Governor for her signature or (2) Not concur, which would require the House and Senate to establish a conference committee to work out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill.