Capitol Update: Week of January 22 - 26
The Legislature returned to session this week after last week's weather put the entire process on pause. Many committees met this week, but for most, the calendars were still relatively sparse. There were a few bills heard in committee that would affect county government. Those are discussed below. The real focus this week was on new legislation being filed or expected to be filed. The General Assembly started the year with just under 1600 bills filed in both the House and Senate. At the time of writing this update, that number had risen to over 2200 bills in the House. There will likely be 1,000 more bills filed in each chamber between now and January 31st, when the House set its filing deadline. The Senate deadline is February 1st.
For some time, we have heard rumblings that a significant effort was underway to limit the ability of counties and cities to levy property taxes. While we do not yet know the exact form this proposal will take, we are seeing indications that this effort is well underway. New organizations have formed, fund-raising and hiring lobbyists to push a proposal to cap property taxes...
|