Updates on major legislation
-
Feb 21, 2007 Posted by Bill Luckett
Many of the high-profile pieces of legislation are still working their way through the legislative process at the Legislature heads into its last week of the 2007 general session. Here is a look at some of those bills and where they stand now (Note: every bill still alive at this point in the session has cleared third reading in one legislative chambers and is currently moving through the second chamber):
House Bills 95 and 96, quality child care: The meat of the legislation, HB 95, is up for a debate and vote in the Senate Committee of the Whole on Thursday after clearing committee. HB 96, the companion bill, is also on its way to the Senate floor within another day or two after the Senate Appropriations Committee stripped some funding from the bill.
HB 93, food sales tax exemption: Cleared Committee of the Whole in the Senate on Wednesday. The bill still does not include a mechanism to reimburse local governments for lost revenue from the tax break.
HB 124, eminent domain: Cleared second reading in the Senate on Wednesday; scheduled for third and final reading on Thursday.
Senate File 33, open container ban: Cleared second reading in the House on Wednesday; scheduled for third and final reading on Thursday.
SF 13, allow the state to void same-sex marriages: The bill is scheduled for a hearing before the House Rules Committee at 8 a.m. Thursday. If it clears the committee, it will move to the full House for debates and votes, if it is scheduled by the majority floor leader.
SF 135, wolf management: This bill died in committee Wednesday. Apparently, several lobbyists for ranchers and outfitters objected to the "11th hour" scheduling of the committee hearing on the bill, which would have accepted the federal government's recommendation to create a wolf management area in northwest Wyoming.
For a glance at the dollar amounts at stake in the upcoming conference committee work on the supplemental budget bill, click here.