AWSP Blog

Both houses were and remain in caucus or in debate on the floor, considering various bills on their respective calendars. Committee work will begin in earnest once the deadline to pass bills from their house of origin. (March 8th). House bills that passed will then be heard in Senate committees and vice versa.

For an outsider looking in, it is extremely frustrating that much of the action that fine tunes/amends bills occur behind closed doors, out of sight of the general public. This is particularly true of the development of the budget, but as one can observe, amendments often crop up on bills the day of their final hearing or on the floor once brought forward for debate. The net effect is that the public often has little time to read and understand any proposed change(s). This is particularly galling when the budget proposal itself is often released in the morning with a same-day public hearing. But this is the system. So be it.

The focus is and will remain so for this week and next on moving bills through committee Executive Sessions to their respective Rules’ Committees. The few that advance will be placed on floor calendars for possible passage. (March 8th is the deadline for bills to have cleared their house of origin.)

The importance of advocacy cannot be overstated. Legislators need to continually hear from those impacted by proposed legislation. A lobbyist can keep issues in front of legislators, but those most closely impacted, particularly constituents, carry much more weight. Enough said. Listed below are bills that appear to be moving. Some previously reported bills have been dropped but may re-appear in future reports. Listed below are bills that show some life.

A reminder that the 17th of February is the first cut-off when policy bills have to make it out of their respective committees. Fiscal bills have until the 24th. So, the clock is running and selected bills are moving. Listed below are bills that show some life.