Cutoff deadlines followed by floor action
We have reached the midpoint of the 60-day session and also the first cutoff deadline for bills to move out of committee, or die. Friday, February 7 was the policy committee deadline and Tuesday, February 11 is the fiscal committee cutoff. Once bills make it past these two critical points, they move to the Rules Committee, which determines what bills will continue to advance to a full vote on the floor of the respective bodies—House and Senate. Bills have until February 19 at 5 pm to get voted out of their house of origin (which is the body they were introduced into).
As we mentioned last week, bills that fail to meet that deadline are generally considered dead for the session. But, there are always exceptions to these rules—bills deemed necessary to implement the budget (NTIB) are generally excluded from the deadlines. And some bills just seem to keep coming back to life, like zombies.
AWC has updated our Hot Sheet to remove the bills that are likely dead and refocus on bills that are still moving through the process.
Watch for Action Alerts
With the action heating up in the Legislature, it’s now crunch time to move or stop bills. That said, watch your inbox for Action Alerts from AWC’s lobbyists. When we send these alerts out, it means that we really need everyone to chip in and help by reaching out to your legislators. These alerts are urgent. We send them only when necessary and look for you to respond quickly to get the city message across to your local legislators. AWC sent out an Action Alert on February 6 asking for your help on zoning preemption legislation. If you haven’t already done so, check out the alert and reach out to your legislators to share your cities’ opposition to these unnecessary mandates.
What’s trending right now in the Legislature?
AWC focuses on issues specific to cities, but there are many other topics that occupy the Legislature’s focus during the session. These issues can end up impacting a wide variety of legislative action, even if they are unrelated. Some of the other issues out there occupying their attention include:
- Responding to public records requests;
- Fixing the funding issues around the program created last year to expand college financial aid (that bill is already headed to the Governor);
- Prohibiting plastic bags and other plastic packaging;
- A variety of climate initiatives;
- Privacy initiatives; and much more.
While some of these issues may impact cities, more often other bills can get caught up in the time-crunch while the Legislature debates these thorny issues.
Don’t miss your legislator’s Town Hall
Many legislators will be returning to their districts to host Town Hall meetings over the next couple of weeks. These are a great opportunity for you to touch base with your legislator and remind them of key city priorities. Make sure to go and to speak up.
To find out if your legislator will be hosting one, check their website for details.