Bob Bromley — The Chair asks whether AT&T would change its investment plans if the bill did not pass.
Bob Bromley — The Chair reminds the committee to focus on the House bill and not speculate about the Senate bill.
Bob Bromley — During a brief procedural transition to the next bill hearing, Bob Bromley is addressed as Chair multiple times while the sponsor prepares to proceed. The exchange clarifies that the speaker has not yet been recognized, and the chair is being called on to manage the transition.
Bob Bromley — Bob Bromley is referenced during a committee discussion about solar legislation and property rights. He is cited as having suggested that solar developers negotiate setbacks with willing landowners, and the exchange continues with remarks about trusting the committee to make changes after hearing the solar bills, willingness to meet with constituents, and acknowledgment that the chair is committed to working through the issue. The moment closes with a direct address to the chair.
John Simmons — John Simmons is identified during roll call as Vice Chair Simmons, noted as the sponsor of House Bill 2383, and later recorded voting aye on the bill.
John Simmons — Representative John Simmons asked a brief question about whether the sunset provision would create planning uncertainty for broadband companies.
Bob Bromley — Bob Bromley was addressed as Chairman Brumley during the roll call and again when the roll vote was called, indicating his role in the procedural voting process.
Del Taylor — Del Taylor questioned whether the bill would apply statewide or allow counties, including St. Louis City, to opt in or out. He expressed concern that a statewide setback requirement could be impractical for urban areas like St. Louis City, where solar installations and industrial conditions differ from rural counties, and suggested the bill should instead be made optional for counties that want it.
Del Taylor — Thanked the witness for testifying.
Del Taylor — Thanked the witness for coming forward, noted that few people had spoken in opposition, and asked for more detail about how the underlying land is assessed separately from equipment.
Del Taylor — Agreed that consistency across assessments would be helpful going forward.
Del Taylor — Representative Lewis refers to the Chair and the group he organizes to work out the details of the agreement.
Brad Banderman — Called during the roll call and marked present.
Brad Banderman — Called during the roll vote.
Brad Banderman — Asks for more detail about the Senate adjustment and whether there is an end date for the adjusted evaluation.
Brad Banderman — Representative Banderman is referenced in the course of a single discussion about the bill’s scope and related policy questions, including whether the 12% savings would be reinvested into projects and how the proposal relates to new construction versus existing infrastructure.
Brad Banderman — The speaker appears to refer to Representative Banderman by a garbled name, likely in the prior discussion context.
John Black — Called during the roll call.
John Black — John Black questioned whether the property is currently assessed uniformly and whether the bill is intended to reduce taxation to support broadband expansion. He then noted that the equipment list appears on page two but could not find language directly linking the assessment to broadband expansion, and continued pressing for explicit wording that ties the assessment to expansion of broadband networks.
John Black — Representative Black was invited to question the witness and then asked the witness to estimate how much county revenue would be reduced if the bill passed.
John Black — The witness responded to Representative Black's point and said the company is willing to tweak the proposal.
John Black — Representative Black asks whether emerging technologies such as wireless and satellite have been considered for broadband expansion, and whether they could serve as a cheaper alternative to fiber and be eligible under the grant program.
John Black — Representative Black followed up on the vice chair’s comments by asking whether projects funded through Chapter 100 would be exempt from the bill’s assessment value provisions, including whether the exemption would apply to the property’s assessment values and related setback requirements.
Stephanie Boykin — Stephanie Boykin was present during roll call and later voted aye on House Bill 2383.
Mike Costlow — Mike Costlow was called during the roll call/vote, with his name appearing in the transcript in slightly different forms ('Boiko' and 'Kosslo').
Ron Fowler — Ron Fowler was called during roll call, marked present, and later recorded as voting aye on House Bill 2383 during the roll vote sequence.
Ron Fowler — The witness states support for Representative Deal's House Bill 2711.
Ron Fowler — Named as a sponsor of HB 2402/HB 2816.
Ron Fowler — Representative Hayden was questioned about his bill, specifically regarding the benefits it provides and whether tax abatements would reduce or undermine those benefits, including reference to page 11 of the bill.
Keri Ingle — Keri Ingle is called during roll call and later during the roll vote, with both mentions indicating her presence in the meeting record.
Keri Ingle — Representative Ingle began speaking and noted the irony of discussing eminent domain alongside property rights.
Keri Ingle — Referenced as having helped with the issue.
Cathy Jo Loy — Cathy Jo Loy is repeatedly called during the roll call and vote sequence, with her name appearing multiple times as part of the same procedural tally.
Ed Lewis — Ed Lewis is mentioned twice during the meeting’s roll call/roll vote sequence, first as being called during roll call and later as appearing again in the vote sequence.
Ed Lewis — The speaker referred to 'Representative Lewis Riggs' as someone who could answer questions about the federal funding timeline; the name appears garbled and may refer to a different legislator or witness.
Ed Lewis — Representative Lewis thanked the bill sponsor, noted prior conversations, and argued that the bill should be enacted this year. He then questioned why Chapter 100 exceptions remain in the bill if Chapter 100 already supersedes other provisions, and suggested those carve-outs should be removed so the policy is not left to county commissioners.
Ed Lewis — Asked the witness whether a 500-foot setback was in place for her property.
Ed Lewis — Continued questioning the witness about the setback distance and whether it applied from the property line or the house.
Ed Lewis — Said the issue of how close the panels are to the road needs to be addressed and apologized for the committee's delay.
Ed Lewis — Said the committee has been slow to act and raised questions about property lines for undeveloped lots intended for future homes.
Ed Lewis — Said the committee will consider unresolved setback issues and thanked the witness for her testimony.
Ed Lewis — Began questioning the witness about property rights and county restrictions.
Ed Lewis — Asked whether the county had zoning and whether county commissioners could impose solar-specific regulations.
Ed Lewis — Asked whether commissioners could impose solar-only regulations without full zoning.
Ed Lewis — Asked whether the county association had spoken with bill sponsors for input.
Ed Lewis — Closed questioning and asked for the next witness opposed to the bill.
Ed Lewis — Asked where the witness's pending projects are located.
Mark Meirath — Mark Meirath is called during the roll call and appears again in the roll vote sequence, with his name transcribed as 'Myrith'/'myrith' in both instances.
Mark Meirath — Representative Deal was referenced as the sponsor of House Bill 2711; the expected member list does not include Deal, so no member ID is available for him.
Jeff Myers — Jeff Myers is mentioned during the roll call and again in the roll vote sequence, indicating his presence in the procedural voting process.