The Utah State Legislature’s 2021 general session, which adjourned on March 5th, was one of the most productive in recent memory. Lawmakers addressed several significant issues with the backing of Governor Spencer Cox and legislative leadership. This session’s primary challenges included developing a $23 billion budget for the next fiscal year, how best to spend …
The longest legislative session in Idaho history finally came to a close on May 12th – with the Senate voting to adjourn Sine Die, and the House recessing until December 31st. The House’s decision to recess, rather than adjourn, means that Speaker Scott Bedke could call lawmakers back into session at any time this year. …
The South Carolina Legislature adjourned the first year of its two-year session on May 13th, passing almost 70 bills. Lawmakers will return later this year to handle various issues, including allocating federal funding from the American Rescue Plan, redistricting, veto overriding, and finalizing the state budget. Any legislation the Legislature has not yet passed will …
The South Carolina General Assembly convenes this week, with Republicans now holding a supermajority in the state Senate with a 30-16 margin. Republicans in the House added two seats to their majority during the 2020 election, which further secures their control of the Legislature in the historically GOP-leaning state. Three members of the House tested …
The Alaska Legislature’s 2021 session commenced Tuesday and will continue for about 90 days. The state constitution requires its 20 Senators and 40 House members to assemble in person, so conducting remote voting and debate will not be an option this year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. They have implemented several policies to keep lawmakers safe, …
The Utah Legislature’s 2021 General Session commenced Tuesday, January 19. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, it will look quite different from previous sessions with social distance and mask requirements, bans on handshaking, regular testing, live stream capabilities for remote debate and voting, and plexiglass between legislators’ desks. The effects of the COVID pandemic, of course, …
The 2021 Idaho legislative session is already halfway complete. The Joint Finance Appropriations Committee has reviewed state agency requests as well as Governor Brad Little’s budget recommendations for FY 2022 and is now sending appropriation bills to the House and Senate floors for approval by the greater body. In his January State of the State …
The Idaho Legislature, like other state lawmaking bodies strongly controlled by one party, is engaged in a tug of war with the governor over how best to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. With Republicans in the Governor’s Office and dominant control of both houses of the Legislature, the issue has become the decisive force in …
The Florida Legislature opened its 60-day session on Tuesday, March 2, to tackle several critical issues – led by, but not limited to, the physical and economic fallout from COVID-19. Florida’s economy has fared relatively well compared with other states, especially when considering how heavily the state’s economy relies on a tourism industry that has …
The first session of the Georgia General Assembly’s two-year term ended with a flurry of legislative activity up until midnight of the final day. In the end, legislators agreed to the must-pass budget, along with several other measures ranging from tax cuts to changes in the election law. Budget The Georgia legislature agreed on a …