From the Director: Legislature Moves Beyond Halfway Mark

They also passed two key deadlines this past week. Bills must have been approved by the committee of origin by Friday, February 8, and fiscal matters, except those necessary to implement the budget, must have been approved by the appropriate fiscal committee by Tuesday, February 12. Many bills did not meet one of these cut-offs and are considered dead for the session.

The next deadline is Tuesday February 19, when bills must have been approved by their house of origin: House bills out of the House and Senate bills out of the Senate. Each deadline presents an obstacle for positive measures and opportunity for those bills we are attempting to defeat. To date, the session is progressing as expected; a great number of bills have been introduced but many have already died and the vast majority will not survive the February 19 deadline.

A number of AWC priority bills remain in play:

• HB 2712, implementing the Gang Task Force recommendations including grants to cities and counties for enforcement of gang crime and graffiti abatement.
• HB 2483, lowering the petition method of annexation for non-code cities from 75% of assessed valuation to 60%.
• SB 6573, providing cities and counties public safety monies when state revenue growth exceeds 1% annually.

A number of other positive measures are being advanced. Many of those bills are outlined in this Bulletin.

Unfortunately two bills strongly opposed by AWC are also advancing: HB 3292 regarding the taping of executive sessions and HB 1873 regarding wrongful injury or death causes of action. Both bills are on the House floor calendar and may be acted upon at any time. We emailed you an action alert on both issues yesterday, Thursday the 14th. I’m hopeful you were able to respond. These bills may have been acted upon by the time you read this Bulletin. If so, we will continue to fight both measures in the Senate. As noted above, the session is moving along swiftly. Please respond as quickly as you can to calls for action. Thank you for your help.

The State revenue forecast will be released later today Friday the 15th - most expect a decline anywhere from $250 – $500 million; not good news for any of us seeking financial help. Once the announcement is made, budget writers will finalize their proposals. The House is scheduled to hold a hearing and have the Appropriations Committee approve their budget next week. Full House action will be held shortly thereafter. The pace has already quickened – stay tuned!

[ previous article ] [ return to top ] [ next article ]