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Legislative Session in Home Stretch
As the legislative session moves toward the May 19 deadline to act on bills, expect long floor sessions and evening and weekend conference committees.
With the April 19 third legislative committee deadline in the rearview mirror, the House and Senate are working to pass bills off their respective floors and negotiate final agreements on supplemental budget bills, a capital investment bill, and a tax bill. The Legislature has less than three weeks to complete their work before the constitutional deadline of May 20. They cannot pass legislation on the final day.
Committee activity continues
The third committee deadline requires most committees to act favorably on major appropriation and finance bills. However, some committees are allowed to pass bills beyond the April 19 deadline. Those include the Senate Finance Committee, House Ways and Means Committee, and the capital investment and taxes committees in both bodies.
Budget bills combined in House
The House Ways and Means Committee held a lengthy meeting on April 25. One of the outcomes of that meeting was the merging of eight supplemental budget bills into three. This is intended to reduce the number of bills that will need to be heard on the House floor. The supplemental funding bills were combined and approved as follows:
- Housing, labor, and transportation.
- Climate and energy, agriculture, and commerce.
- Veterans and state and local government.
- A section (pdf) of the children and families bill was merged into the education bill.
The Senate has not merged omnibus bills but could do so before they reach the Senate floor. If both bodies do not merge bills similarly, the conference committee process could become more complicated.
Bonding bills released
The House and Senate released omnibus capital investment packages on April 28. They are nearly identical and are both combinations of two bills, one that would borrow and another that would provide cash for infrastructure projects around the state. They would spend just under $1 billion. Notably, the bills in their current versions do not contain earmarks for local projects.
More analysis of the capital investment packages will be provided as they advance through the process.
What to expect in next few weeks
As the legislative session moves toward the May 20 deadline, expect long floor sessions and evening and weekend conference committees. If your city has legislative priorities, now is an important time to contact your legislators to urge support for your city’s positions.