The House passed Senate Bill 280 which would modify the Downtown Redevelopment Act by promoting development of areas which are unusable without expenditures. The Constitutional Rule was suspended and Senate Bill 573 was read three times. This bill would increase public school teachers’ and service personnel annual salaries. These bills were communicated to the Senate.

In addition, 15 messages were received from the Senate. The House concurred in all Senate amendments to the bills with the exception of the amendment for House Bill 4022. Conference committees were created for House Bill 3215, House Bill 4471 and House Bill 4482.

The House is in recess until 1:30 p.m. today.

The House passed 16 bills which all completed legislative action and were sent to the Governor for his signature. House Bill 265 would provide a way for assessing the value of all aircraft owned or leased by commercial airlines, charter or private carriers and private companies or firms for property tax purposes effective July 1, 2009. The bill would require that the value of the special aircraft property would be its salvage value. Senate Bill 653 would permit internet sales of life, accident and sickness insurance.

The House also received 10 messages from the Senate and concurred in amendment with the nine Senate bills that had amendments. The House passed nine bills with amendments and communicated them to the Senate. Among these are, House Bill 4078 and House Bill 4386.

The House will reconvene at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow.

In the morning session of the House, three bills on third reading Senate Bill 622, Senate Bill 680 and Senate Bill 699 were passed by the House with amendments and communicated back to the Senate. Senate Bill 680 would make a gradual reduction in the corporate net income tax from 8.75 percent to 6.5 percent over the next five years effective January 1, 2009. This bill would completely eliminate the tax beginning January 1, 2015.

The House received 11 messages from the Senate. The House concurred in amendment for nine of the bills. The House refused to concur in amendment for House Bill 4557 and Senate Bill 571 and will meet with the Senate in conference committees.

The House will recess until 3:00 p.m. today.

The House met this evening to receive messages from the Senate and to consider bills on second and third reading.

The House passed six Senate bills this evening, 5 of those with amendments that will be sent to the Senate for concurrence. Senate Bill 292 completed legislative action this evening and will allow the Commissioner of Banking to issue bond claims to collect certain unpaid penalties and invoices.

Senate Bill 593 passed the House this evening and will clarify library funding obligation from local share.
Senate Bill 476 would create a State Employee Sick Leave Fund. The bill will now be sent back to the Senate for its concurrence.
Senate Bill 553 would create a Permitting and Licensing Information Act.
Senate Bill 595 passed the House with title amendments and would establish education goals and objectives to be reached by the year 2020.
Senate Bill 722 would grant regulatory power to certain Board of Pharmacy facilities.

The House also read 33 bills a second time and advanced them to third reading.

The House will reconvene at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow.

The House passed 12 Senate bills on third reading and sent them to the Governor for his signature. Among these bills, Senate Bill 541 would continue the personal income tax adjustment for retirees’ receiving pensions from defined pension plans that ended and are being paid a reduced maximum benefit and Senate Bill 657 would create the Alcohol and Drug-Free Workplace Act which would define how drug testing was to be done.

Eight House bill were reported back from the Senate with amendments. The House concurred in Senate amendments for these eight bills. House Bill 3056 would allow a pharmacist to administer immunizations for Influenza and Pneumonia to any person 18 years or older and House Bill 4628 would provide a $3,000 tax credit per new job filled by an employee per year for taxpayers that don’t satisfy the current requirements for the tax credit.
House Bill 4141 was reported from the Senate with no amendments. The House refused to concur with the Senate amendment for House Bill 4209 and asked the Senate to recede.

The House will recess until 5:30 today.