Hearings Conclude--The work continues!

The Legislature has completed 37 of the 60 days allowed for the 104th Legislature, 2nd Regular Session.  The total number of bills passed so far is 35, that means there are several hundred bills waiting in the cue to be heard over the next 23 Legislative days. Only bills with a designated priority status are guaranteed to be heard at this stage of the session.  The only exception will be when the speaker schedules a Consent Calendar of non-controversial bills that

Today was the final day for hearings. The only Committee hearing bills today is the Judiciary Committee.  The Judiciary Committee was assigned 110 bills and every bill is entitled to a hearing.  In order to manage the workload, they heard on average six bills a day with some hearings lasting into the night. As I write this post I am listing to the Committee hear testimony on several gun bills.  While the rest of their colleagues have left for a three-day recess weekend, the Judiciary members will have another late night. We really don't pay these people enough!

Just because hearings are completed doesn't mean that the Committee work is done.  Executive sessions will continue to be held to determine the fate of bills held by all of the Committees. While these executive sessions are not open to the public, members of the press are allowed to be present to witness the votes taken.

LB 824 remains in the Natural Resources Committee. It is expected that the bill will be discussed in exec session on Tuesday next week. NREA is maintaining a neutral position on the bill and will not work to support or oppose the bill as long as the agreed upon amendment remains unchanged.

As for the two bills introduced on behalf of NREA, LB 736 and LB 973, we are waiting for the Speaker to schedule the next Consent Calendar.  Both bills have been recommended to be included on the "fast-track" agenda of bills.

Now that the hearing process has concluded we will move to full day debate of bills. This should speed up the process, but don't depend on quick action.  It seems every bill that holds controversy has been subject to a filibuster. A filibuster can tie up a bill for six hours on General File before a vote can be taken.  A total of 33 votes is required to force the end of debate--invoke cloture.  So even though it only takes 25 votes to advance a bill, a bill sponsor may need to have 33 votes in order to advance their controversial bill.  That changes the game for a number of controversial issues.