Legislative Updates

It is very hard to believe, but we are halfway through the legislative session!  Cut-off for bills to get out of their original fiscal committee was on Tuesday (February 6th), and February 14th is the cut-off date for bills to get out of their...

Today, February 2nd, is the first cut-off of the session!  Today is the day that bills have to be out of the policy committees or they die…except when they don’t!  The saying “it’s not over ‘til it’s over” is one to keep in mind during the...

As we near the end of week three, committee schedules are increasingly packed with both hearings and executive action (when the committee votes on bills they have heard).  Additionally, floor action is picking up, with the Senate even meeting two...

The big news this week is that the House and Senate passed the Capital budget!  The 2017 sessions ended without a Capital budget, so it is a relief that it is now done.  Both the House and the Senate have been on the floor throughout the week and...

Welcome to the first week of the 2018 legislative session!  Didn’t the 2017 session(s) just end??!! This is a short session, meaning 60 days.  Granted there could be special sessions after that, but the plan is to get done on time.  Fingers crossed...

SINE DIE!!      On July 20th, 2017, the legislature adjourned Sine Die.  Unfortunately, they did not pass a capital budget prior to adjourning, which means many projects will be halted and even more new projects will not begin.  The Governor stated...

Well, the legislature hasn't adjourned, but they did pass a budget in time to avoid a partial government shutdown!  And the budget, from our perspective, turned out quite well for human services, including children and family services.  A budget...

We seem to be getting close to finalizing a budget – which would be great, given today is June 30th, the last day of the fiscal year, and the day a budget needs to pass in order to not have a partial shutdown of state government! The House and...

Today is the third day of the third special session… and hopefully a budget is forthcoming! Brief update: The revenue forecast came out on the 20th and is roughly $81 million higher for the remainder of this biennium (which ends June 30th) and $86...

Another special session is coming to a rapid close… June 21st is the last day of the second special session, and it is expected that the Governor will call a third special session right away.  The eagerly-anticipated revenue forecast will be...