2025 Legislative Session Priorities

First Chamber Deadlines have passed!

The first hurdle for a bill is to get through the first chamber deadline on April 9. This means that all bills have had to have hearings and work sessions in their chamber of origin.

Now a bill can have 1 of 4 outcomes:

DEAD

This bill did not move out of its first chamber policy committee by the deadline on April 9th. That means it is not moving forward this session. A related bill could be amended to include some of the concepts in the bill, but this particular bill # will not move forward.

WAYS AND MEANS 

This bill costs money to implement and has been referred to the joint committee on Ways and Means for consideration for state resources. It could either have a hearing and pass out of Ways and Means, or be included in the end of session budget reconciliation bill (AKA the Christmas Tree bill).

RULES or REVENUE

If a bill is referred to Rules or Revenue committees it is not subject to the regular policy committee timelines. It is still alive, can have further debate, hearings and amendments and can be passed out of the Rules or Revenue committee in its first chamber to a floor vote with a subsequent referral to a second chamber policy committee.

PASSED FIRST CHAMBER COMMITTEE

This means a bill has passed a vote in its first chamber policy committee and does not have a fiscal (price tag) so it will go to a floor vote in its first chamber (house or senate) and upon passage be referred to a policy committee in the other chamber (house or senate, opposite of first depending on bill’s origin). Floor votes can only happen once a bill has had its first, second and third reading on the floor. Legislators do have the opportunity to speak for or against a bill on the floor, usually Chief Sponsors will say a few words about their bills and/or distribute a floor letter to educate other legislators. If a bill fails its floor vote at this time, the bill is dead.