Week 4

The Legislature has adopted an Adjournment Resolution that has the General Assembly in Session Days Monday – Thursday week of Feb 10th – 13th; Off Friday Feb 14th & Monday Feb 17th and in Session Tuesday Feb 18th, which leaves the General Assembly at Day 24 of the traditional 40 on Feb 18th.

With the snow behind them, the General Assembly returned to the feverish pace of the Legislative Session as we enter week four of what looks to be a Session that ends the week of March 17th, with Crossover Day likely to occur on February 27th.

For those of you who are curious what Crossover Day is, a quick explanation is due.

If a bill has not passed out of either the House or Senate and “crossed” over to the other Chamber, it is essentially dead. In the waning hours of Session, many of these bills can be attached to other pieces of legislation, known as “vehicle legislation.”

In order to attach a bill that failed to pass either the House or Senate Chambers before Crossover Day, the “vehicle legislation” and dead legislation that is being attached as an amendment must be within the same Code Section.

With eleven days to go until Crossover and 21 days until “Sine Die”, in a Session that is moving at a near-record pace, these are the days to watch bills that are “cleanup” or “good government” as the joke goes when a potentially controversial piece of legislation is on the calendar.