Legislative Update Week 12
Last Week Before April Break: Conference Committees and Floor Debates.
Thursday marked the last day this week for both chambers to debate non-exempt bills and pass them out to a conference committee, or send them straight to the Governor’s office for signature. Next week, conference committees will begin to meet to negotiate compromises on bill amendments, and both chambers will continue to debate non-exempt bills on General Orders. Exempt committees will continue to schedule meetings and hearings as needed; all non-exempt committees are done meeting for the remainder of the legislative session.
Next week is the last week of the regular legislative session before the first adjournment; they will break for approximately three weeks and return near the end of April.
The Big Issues: Budget, Taxes, and School Finance
As deadlines bear down on the legislature, expect debates over tax policy and school finance to take center stage. The House is expected to debate its budget proposal and a school finance package next week. The Senate already passed its budget bill, and while their version does not take into account potential increases in school funding, it does clear the table for discussions over the upcoming Omnibus bill.
The remainder of the session will involve a complicated juggling act for legislators as they try to balance school finance with potential changes in tax policy – all in time to meet a Supreme Court school funding deadline of April 30th.
