As week 11 comes to end, by Monday, March 28, there will be 23 days left until the April 19 scheduled adjournment date, which is about 16 legislative workdays. For the first time this session, this week brought a sense of urgency at the Capitol signaling that sine die is near. The number of policy bills eligible for consideration was further narrowed as certain bills were moved to the unfinished business calendar and many others were not.
If a policy bill is not on the unfinished business calendar at this point, there are only a few paths to take for the language in those policy bills to advance. At the same time, the appropriations process continued in earnest as budget bills continued to move through committees, and few received approval from the full House.
Appropriations Process
This week, six appropriations bills were considered by the House and passed (most on party-line votes) sending those budgets to the Senate where they have been referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Committee work continues on the Health and Human Services Appropriations (HHS) while the Education budget has been approved by the full Appropriations Committee and will be floor eligible next week.
Education and HHS budgets comprise the largest portions of the state budget, so the largest and likely most controversial budgets have yet to move out of the House. We can expect to see a House version of the Infrastructure (RIIF) budget in the near future, likely next week. The Standings appropriations bill is typically the very last bill introduced and passed through chambers before sine die.
Currently, we have yet to see the Senate release any appropriations bills. The Senate can either introduce their own budget bills or they can work from the House bills that have been sent over to the Senate.
The House proposed spending $8.27 billion on the state budget which is about $70 million more than the $8.2 billion contemplated in the Governor’s budget and the Senate targets.
| Budget | House | Status |
| Administration & Regulation | HF2565 | 3/21/22 Introduced; 3/24 Passed House & Amended 60-30 |
| Agriculture & Natural Resources | HF2560 | 3/15/22 Introduced; 3/23 Passed House & Amended 61-35 |
| Economic Development | HF2564 | 3/21/22 Introduced; 3/24 Passed House & Amended 73-18 |
| Education | HF2575 | 3/24/22 Introduced; Passed House committee |
| Health & Human Services | LSB 5004 | 3/24/22 in House Appropriations committee |
| Judicial Branch | HF2558 | 3/15/22 Introduced; 3/22 Passed House & Amended 90-4 |
| Justice System | HF2559 | 3/15/22 Introduced; 3/22 Passed House & Amended 58-36 |
| Transportation, Infrastructure & Capitals | HF2557 | 3/15/22 Introduced; 3/22 Passed & Amended House 92-2 |
Bills Signed by the Governor
Already this session the Governor has signed nine bills into law, including a major tax reform package. Another 30 bills have been enrolled by the legislature and are awaiting her signature. Below is a list of those bills along with a brief description.
Filing Deadline for the June Primary–State House
The deadline for filing for the June primary was last Friday, March 18. As an update from last week, below identify candidates who filed their candidate June primary paperwork with the Secretary of State.
What’s next?
Next week, only the following bills will be considered on the House or Senate floor (along with a few unique and rare exceptions):
- Bills passed by both Houses
- Appropriations Bills
- Ways and Means Bills
- Unfinished Business
Budget bills will most likely all move to the Senate next week where the negotiations will continue. A $70 million difference in targets is not regarded as significant and the expectation is that negotiations will close this gap quickly. Once a final agreement on budgets is reached between the House, the Senate, and the Governor’s office, budget bills will be amended and approved accordingly by each chamber before being sent down to the Governor’s Office; this process will play out until the final day of session.
Bills Signed by the Governor (Continued)
