Legislative committees have approved about 615 policy bills this session, but with just over three weeks until the General Assembly's midnight May 8 deadline, the prospects are dimming for hundreds of them. Only one, on home energy assistance, has been ratified in both the House and Senate and been signed into law by the governor.
Leaders of the Democratic-dominated House and Senate are now prioritizing what will reach floor debates and votes during the end game of this short, 13-week session, which by law focuses on adjustments to the second year of the $51-billion budget passed in 2023.
But after hundreds of hours of public testimony and dozens of meetings among the 26 joint House and Senate committees, a wide variety of bills with financial consequences remain active, and committee chairs will be lobbying their Democratic majority leaders for introducing further protections for visiting nurses; navigating the security concerns of artificial intelligence; improving nursing homes; and revising state law on the nascent retail cannabis landscape.
The closer the legislature gets to its witching hour on that second midweek in May, the more powerful the Republican minorities of 54-97 in the House and 12-24 in the Senate will grow. Republican lawmakers can stretch out debates for hours or allow legislation to be voted on with little discussion, depending on their stake in a bill.
Source: Stamford Advocate
CLICK HERE for more information.
Photo: f11photo / iStock / Getty Images