There are five weeks left for the Legislature to pass a budget and finish its work.

This is a big week for the Legislature as it sees some key milestones:

• Friday, March 26 is the next cutoff deadline when bills must pass out of the policy committee of the opposite chamber.
• Budget proposals are expected out this week. First, we will see the House and Senate transportation budget proposals. They are not the statewide transportation packages we’ve written about. Rather, they’re the transportation biennial budget proposals.
• Finally, on Friday we expect to get our first look at the Senate’s proposed operating budget.

Where do things stand for cities?

AWC has five priorities for the 2021 legislative session: enhance fiscal flexibility, preserve state-shared revenues, promote housing stability, adopt statewide police reforms, and enact a statewide transportation package.

So far, we have done well and continue to make progress on all five priorities.

• The fiscal flexibility bill, HB 1069, is progressing through the legislative process and awaits a hearing in the Senate Ways & Means Committee.
• Given the recent positive revenue news, we expect the Legislature will have no reason to reduce state-shared revenues for cities.
• Efforts to fund housing stability programs are widely supported and the federal funds from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act are a significant boost to address the issue.
• Many police reform bills are still moving through the Legislature. AWC has supported most proposals while successfully working with the bill sponsors to mitigate negative impacts to cities. Additionally, the bills we opposed are likely dead or have been amended to address our most significant concerns.
• AWC continues to push for a statewide transportation package but time is short. While a few proposal outlines have been shared, no concrete package has been released. However, cities are fully engaged in the process and there is strong interest in ensuring that the final package include funding for local needs.

We are pleased that decision-makers are hearing cities on our priority issues and happy for the progress we’ve made. In addition to city priorities, AWC is tracking many other bills that impact local government. You can always find the latest on key bills in our weekly Hot Sheet.

As we look forward to the publication of legislative budget proposals this week, we are cautiously optimistic that the positive revenue forecast, coupled with the federal ARP funds, will mean the Legislature can invest in crucial city priorities like the Public Works Trust Fund, funding for law enforcement training and costs related to police reforms, unpaid utility accounts stemming from the pandemic, and repairs to fish-blocking culverts.

Five weeks to go – What’s ahead?

Five weeks may sound like a long time, but the legislative session always moves quickly. Watch for the remaining cutoff deadlines:

• March 26: Deadline for bills to pass out of the policy committees in the opposite house.
• April 2: Deadline for bills to pass out of the fiscal committees in the opposite house.
• April 11: Deadline for bills (not related to the budget) to pass the opposite house.
• April 25: Session ends.

Note that, the April 11 deadline allows little time for bills to get through the final part of the process. Additionally, budget action will happen fast in the last several weeks. As noted, the Senate will release its operating budget proposal this Friday. We can expect the House to follow shortly thereafter. That’s when the real negotiations begin.

There is plenty of action left to occur in the coming week. It’s critical that you stay engaged and keep sharing feedback on city issues with your legislators.

AWC Lobby Day

This Wednesday we will host a city Lobby Day where we’ll share the latest legislative news and fresh updates. AWC lobbyists will bring you the most current information on policy bills and budget proposals. It’s a great opportunity to get up to speed so you can share the information with your local legislators. It’s not too late! Register now for the free online event.