Legislative Update - Week of March 9, 2020
Session is in Full Swing
The second session of the 111th General Assembly is in full swing as legislators race towards adjournment in about six or seven weeks. This week there are more than 1,100 bills scheduled for hearings in House and Senate Committees. While there is no way for all of these bills to be heard, several Subcommittees and Committees will hold marathon meetings with the hopes of wrapping up business and closing for the year. Representatives of the business community will be extremely busy until the end of session with several committees often meeting at the same time and with dozens of new amendments being introduced every day. To see this week’s schedule and committee calendars, click here.
Items to Watch this Week
Criminal Justice Reform
HB 2261/SB 2194 (Curcio/Stevens) is part of Governor Bill Lee’s legislative package regarding criminal justice reform. The Governor campaigned on this platform during the 2018 election, and his administration has dedicated a lot of time and energy to the issue. This legislation is entitled, The Reentry and Stabilization Act of 2020, and its intent is to ensure more people are leaving the criminal justice system ready to be productive citizens and less likely to return to incarceration. In a House Subcommittee last week, Representative Curcio cited statistics that show 50% of individuals released from prison end up back in prison with 40% of those returning for technical violations rather than new crimes. This legislation would provide more oversight and support services for recently released individuals.
This bill is scheduled for a hearing tomorrow afternoon, March 10, in the Senate Judiciary Committee at 3:00 p.m., and you can watch the live hearing or the archived video by clicking here. The bill is also scheduled to be heard in the House Judiciary Committee at 3:30 on Wednesday, and you can watch the live hearing or the archived video by clicking here.
Caps on Property Taxes
HB 2638/SB 2751 (Holt/Bell) would prohibit cities and counties from raising property taxes more than 2% plus inflation each year. If a city or county would like to raise the taxes in excess of this amount, the raised taxes would be contingent on the approval of the voters via referendum. Concerns have been raised with this legislation by city and county officials, chambers of commerce, school systems, the Comptroller, and other groups.
This bill is scheduled for a hearing in the House Property and Planning Subcommittee tomorrow afternoon, March 10, at 4:30 p.m. To watch the live or archived discussion, click here.
To see the status of all of the bills being tracked by the business community, click here.