Legislature wraps up its work amid COVID-19 emergency

The Legislature adjourned on time on Thursday, March 12 completing its main task which was adopting supplemental updates for the operating, capital, and transportation budgets. Check out our article and summary matrix.

Coming into the 2020 session, expectations were not high for tackling big issues given the short timeframe, supplemental budget focus, and election year politics. However, the Legislature did end up tackling some important policy issues, particularly around affordable housing and homelessness (see our article for details). Much of the session was overshadowed by the COVID-19 emergency, which the Legislature responded to by passing HB 2965 providing access to emergency funds for the state and local response.

Looking for more on what happened this session?

Register for AWC’s March 19 legislative wrap-up webinar for a rundown of what happened during the session.

Watch for the session recap edition of the Legislative Bulletin on March 30. With the end of the session, we will be returning to the interim monthly publication schedule for the Legislative Bulletin.

City advocacy is a year-round job

Now is a good time to connect with your legislators for an overview of what happened this session. It is also the time for you to plan opportunities to engage with your legislators throughout the interim. AWC’s Strong Cities Pocket Guide is full of ideas for how you can be a year-round city advocate.

Additionally, this is an election year. City elected officials should talk with those who are running for the legislative office about city legislative priorities. It is important to build that understanding now about what’s important to cities so those who take office in January know what cities need.

Thank you

Finally, I want to thank all of you for your support and advocacy throughout the session. Your voice is critical to this process and we greatly appreciate all your outreach.

Thank you for being the best strong city advocates.