The Mood at the Capitol

SJR 74 (Coleman) is sitting on the Senate Senate Bills with House Amendments Calendar. Calendars do not indicate the day a bill will be debated, only that it could be brought to the Floor that day. Knowing that the bill will be filibustered when it comes to the floor, Senate leadership is going to spend most of this coming week focusing on the budget as they are constitutionally required to do so. MOVPC is asking everyone to remain calm and wait until you hear from Denise if the bill is brought up. We know there are threats around motion of moving the previous question (PQ), we are not overly concerned. Using the PQ is generally considered to be the end of the Senate because if it is used it will result in a cascade of PQ’s because all other debates will result in a filibuster. It is a last resort/nuclear option in the Senate and everyone wants to avoid this outcome at all costs. The JAG team will be monitoring the situation in the building and be in constant communication with everyone in the Senate as well as all of our coalition partners. Again, please keep an eye out for any MOVPC action alerts.

SJR 78 (Brown 26) was passed out of the House Elections Committee and has one more vote before heading to the House floor. Following a lengthy debate in committee it is clear that this bill has unforeseen consequences that could potentially be placed in the constitution. While at this moment, the House is sitting on all Senate bills so that the Senate can focus on the budget, this bill can be brought up anytime after this coming Tuesday. Please keep an eye out for any action alerts regarding this bill.

The increased tension and looming deadlines mean most other bills are stuck behind the log jam. However, there are several things poised to move quickly should the log jam break. Among those are HB2700 and HB2064, the “Comprehensive Criminal” and “Comprehensive Civil” bills respectively. Both bills are being tracked in our bill comparison spreadsheet linked below. They have been pared down to only provisions that won’t spark lengthy debate. They are also likely to continue to change slightly as the Senate finishes its work. 

We are expecting Good Time Credit and the restoration of SNAP benefits to people with previous drug offenses to be added to HB2700. As of now, we aren’t expecting any bad language to be added, and are ready to object and get it removed if it is. 

• Crime Bill Comparison: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IPmHrOzKsTAyZJHI-jme37WmSku1cagN/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104630237112565542110&rtpof=true&sd=true 
  

Please bear with us as we come to the end of this legislative session. Things move quickly and predictions are only good for the 5 minutes it takes to give them. This is also an election year so the political motivations are extremely high. We will notify everyone immediately should anything pass. Otherwise, just keep an eye out for these updates and we will send them when we can.

https://govwatch.net/report/M6q8o0GrzR

*This list is continually updated and improved. If you have questions, please contact Sharon Geuea Jones at sharon@jonesadvocacy.com.