Welcome To Bill-A-Palooza! That time of year when several dozen bills are passed on any given day. Counting up those scheduled on today’s House and Senate Agendas, we’re looking at 47 bills, not counting non-controversial resolutions.
The good news, for me at least, is that the Senate, with two exceptions, is mostly considering House bills. The House, though, is still mostly considering House bills. One can only hope that this is the last main batch for the session. Yes, The Speaker is still burying the bill that would democratize the Special Elections process. Perhaps next session will bring us a more democratic speaker.
Let’s start with the Senate Agenda, and those two exceptions. Actually, only one bill is of real importance. SB 326 (Hansen):
“…builds on the customer protections created in Senate Bill 60 in 2025, as follows: 1. Increases transparency in rates and communications by public utilities. 2. Requires regular management audits of certain public utilities and regulatory accounting reviews with each rate case proceeding. 3. Provides greater consistency in the data used by public utilities in rate case proceedings. 4. Limits how much utilities can collect in interim rates before the Commission has ruled on a rate increase request. 5. Prohibits public utilities from recovering certain expenses from ratepayers. 6. Requires the Commission to provide rationale for its decisions in accepting settlement agreements. 7. Puts limits on Delmarva Power’s infrastructure spending, which is a major driver of rate increases.’
The remainder of the Senate Agenda consists of what appear to be relatively non-controversial bills that have already passed the House.
Ho-kay, let’s look at the even-lengthier House Agenda. Some real good bills here. I’d include among them HS1/HB 88 (Bush), which is the first leg of a Constitutional Amendment; HB 180 (Harris), another Constitutional Amendment expanding voting rights; HS1/HB 233 (Burns); HS 1/HB 368 (Gorman); HB 430 (Harris), another proposed Constitutional Amendment, this one prohibiting corporations from voting in elections; HB 445 (Heffernan). We also have two proposed Constitutional Amendments coming over from the Senate, first legs both. This one protects reproductive freedom. This one protects the right to marry for all. I believe that all of the proposed Constitutional Amendments will require at least one R vote to pass.
This, in other words, is ‘Bite The Bullet Day’ in the House. Lots of Rethugs crying crocodile tears. I’m setting the over/under on the gavel coming down ending session at 9:41 pm.
Bless their souls–no committee meetings scheduled for the Senate today.
Let’s see if there’s anything of interest going on in the House. Not really, with the exception of the bills on the House Appropriations Committee Agenda. Because these bills were held until the Joint Finance Committee deliberations concluded. Meaning, that the items on this agenda have received the needed funding to move forward.
Thread adjourned.
