Lawmakers work on food tax, open containers, eminent domain
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Jan 15, 2007 Posted by Bill Luckett
It looks like the state House is going to take on the food sales tax exemption this week. House Speaker Roy Cohee, R-Casper, said he expects House Bill 93 to come up on the House floor either today or Tuesday. That bill is sponsored by Rep. Rodney "Pete" Anderson, R-Pine Bluffs, who last year was one of the staunchest opponents of exempting food from the sales tax. Anderson's bill would make the food sales tax exemption permanent. Under current law, the exemption will expire on June 30, 2008.
Another measure to exempt food from the state sales tax, House Bill 154, is sponsored by 14 different lawmakers representing both parties and both chambers of the Legislature. That bill would exempt food from the sales tax through 2013. However, the House Revenue Committee, which Anderson chairs, voted Friday to send his bill to the House floor and did not vote on HB 154. Presumably, if Anderson's bill doesn't make it through the legislative process, HB 154 could still be sent out to the entire Legislature, giving the idea a sort of second chance.
Meanwhile, legislative panels plan to take action early this week on two other high-interest measures. Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee plans to take up Senate File 33, which would ban all open containers of alcohol in vehicles on state highways, and Tuesday, the House Agriculture Committee is scheduled to consider the eminent domain bill, House Bill 124. We'll have more on these three issues as the week unfolds.