Special Session lead up

Last week, we talked about What's so "special" about the OMB bill and the Supreme Court? But wait... there's more

What happened now: The Governor has called a special session [press release], set to begin on Monday - Oct. 23, to address the Supreme Court’s ruling regarding the OMB bill.
While the Legislature has 5 days remaining to use (remember they started the year with 80), any bills passed would have take 90 days to become effective unless there was an emergency clause and 2/3 vote. HOWEVER, that doesn't matter now because the Governor has called a special session, the bills become law once the Governor signs them. This is essential to ensure services and operations don't lag. 

What we know: Time is of the essence. The OMB bill has been broken down into 14 separate bill drafts – 7 regarding appropriations (dollars and budgets) and 7 regarding policy. The Committees will function a little differently during the special session with a Joint Appropriations Committee and a Joint Policy Committee reviewing bills - meaning: the chambers will be intermingled with both representatives and senators to help expediate work. 

What’s next: Legislative Management will meet on Friday - Oct 20 to review other potential bills. Any bills during this special session have two options to be considered. 
1. They will need to have been approved by Legislative Management.
2. A legislator can bring it forward on the Floor and receive a 2/3 vote.

We are keeping an eye on things - stay tuned - we are watching for the business bills and are starting a checklist.