The first day of the General Assembly’s special session played out according to script with Senate and House committees hearing brief testimony from dozens of witnesses on the tax increase and BRFA bills. The Senate Budget and Taxation Committee approved the bills on nearly party line votes without any amendments. The 3-bill package (SB 1301, B 1302, and SB 1303) quickly moved to the Senate floor, where the bills were debated, amendments were resisted, and the bills passed second reading without change. See my earlier post for links to the bills and our testimony.
Tomorrow the Senate will come in at 10:30 a.m., at which time it is expected to pass the bills on 3rd reading. The House will convene soon thereafter, assign the bills to the Appropriations and Ways and Means committees for brief hearings and votes, and then consider the bills on second reading. A final vote on the package of bills is expected in the House on Wednesday morning. For further information contact Ron Wineholt at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Update May 15, 12:15 p.m.: On votes of 27-19 and 33-13, the Senate this morning gave final approval respectively to the tax increase (SB 1301) and BRFA (SB 1302) bills. These bills are damaging by again increasing individual income tax rates on small business owners and raiding IWIF funds paid by employers. Action now shifts to the House, which is expected to consider the bills in the Ways & Means and Appropriations committees this afternoon and later on the House floor.
About Ronald W. Wineholt