With the entire Capitol in the middle of a full remodel, the 2016 legislative session is set to be unlike any other. By order of the fire marshal, only 258 people are allowed inside the Capitol when the House meets. The Senate will be meeting in a building nearby, where only 49 members of the public are allowed inside. Despite the tight fit the session must go on.
Here’s what you need to know:
- It’ll be a short one! – A very late start combined with a late May deadline, will make this one of the shortest legislative session in recent history.
- It’s not a budget year – Last year, legislators had to pass a two-year, $41.5 billion budget. This means nothing HAS to get done. Legislators will most likely focus on a bonding bill, a long-term transportation-funding plan, and tax cuts.
- It’s an election year – With all 201 seats in the state House and Senate up for grabs there’s a lot at stake this fall. Many of the issues legislators want to focus on might not make it under the pressure of an election year.
Read BATC’s 2016 legislative priorities here.
