AANC Legislative Update - 5/8/19
LEGISLATIVE REPORT - May 8, 2019
INTRODUCTION
Last week was extremely intense as up to 17 committee meetings happened each day with 30-50 bills being considered in those committees. As members and lobbyists tried to get their bills through one chamber before the cross-over deadline, we heard some similar phrases over and over:
- “it needs some work but if we can just get it through we will work on it on the other side”
- “we will meet with stakeholders on the other side"
- “we know there are a lot of questions but if we could just get it through”
- “don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good”
Many bills clearly had problems that legislators promised to work on when the bill arrived in the Senate or House but their fate is unclear. Whether the other chamber will be willing to take up these issues will depend on whether legislators on the other side are willing to move the bill and fight for it.
Last week, the House also finalized and approved their budget proposal, which we have summarized later in this legislative report. The budget moved quickly through the process and although there were a lot of amendments proposed, the main controversy was the Democrats efforts to include Medicaid Expansion in the budget, which was defeated by the majority Republicans. The budget now goes to the Senate and they will create their own version of the budget before the House and Senate work out their differences.
Although the cross-over deadline was on the 9th, the House finished their business and will not return until next week. The Senate is scheduled to meet on the 8th to go through a full calendar but there are no committee meetings scheduled so we expect their business to be completed on the 8th. This is first time I have ever seen either chamber finish moving bills BEFORE the actual cross-over deadline.
This Legislative Report is a publication of Kochanek Law Group and is a member benefit of AANC. Any use or reproduction of this report is limited to AANC and its members.