HB 96, Rep. Mike Moyle's bill to let any taxing district "opt out" of an urban renewal district, has passed the House on a 43-27 vote. "It makes them all come to the table," Moyle told the House. Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol, debated in favor of the bill, saying, "This bill would bring the taxing agencies in as stakeholders with a voice and would let them participate in how that tax money is going to be spent. It would create greater buy-in in the community." The districts, he said, would have "skin in the game." That's a more positive version of the same argument Rep. Christy Perry offered earlier against the bill - that if individual districts can opt out, they'll have leverage to demand their own pork projects as part of urban renewal, like paving a particular street. HB 96 now moves to the Senate side.