General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thurs., Jan. 25, 2024

I see nothing controversial on today’s House and Senate Agendas.  Little of importance as well.  Although these three bills move the ball forward a bit:

SB 197 (Hansen):  ‘(R)equire(s) that beginning January 1, 2026, state agencies under Chapter 69 of Title 29 must purchase only native plants, including cultivars and hybrids of native plants, in the development of new landscaped areas and in the rehabilitation of exiting landscaped areas.

HB 267 (Dorsey Walker) ‘(P)rohibits the Family Court from imposing a sentence of incarceration or ordering the suspension of a person’s license for failure to pay court-ordered child support unless it finds that the failure to pay is wilful and not due to an inability of the person to pay the support.’

HB 285 (Osienski) ‘(R)emov(es) the requirement that a patient have a debilitating medical condition to qualify for a registry identification card, instead allowing health-care providers to make the determination of whether a patient has a diagnosed medical condition for which the patient would receive therapeutic or palliative benefit from the use of medical marijuana.’

Incremental progress, but progress is often incremental.

Here’s something for you to chew on during the break–the Governor’s proposed Bond & Capital Improvements Bill.  We should see his proposed budget by day’s end as well.

Here is yesterday’s Session Activity Report.

No need for padding.  The General Assembly recesses after today’s sessions for six weeks of Joint Finance Committee hearings.  Accordingly, I hereby recess these reports until the call of the Chair.