The gavel fell at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 3, marking the beginning of the second session of the 108^th Legislature. The first two days of the short, 60-day session consisted primarily of bill introductions, with 154 new bills dropped into the hopper.  Combined with nearly 600 bills carried over from the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers will face a healthy slate of issues once again this session.

Bill introductions will continue during the first 10 legislative days, with General File debate of bills carried over from the 2023 legislative session to commence after the rules debate has been completed. Governor Pillen will present his State of the State address on January 18, with Committee hearings to begin on January 22 and run through February 29. February 14 is the deadline for submitting requests for Speaker Priority bill designations and individual senator and Committee priority bills must be designated by February 15. Full day floor debate is scheduled to begin on March 4 with the legislature scheduled to adjourn on April 18.

The early days of the legislative session will involve consideration of changes to the permanent rules. Speaker John Arch (La Vista) and Senator Steve Erdman (Bayard), chair of the Rules Committee, along with individual senators will submit proposed rule changes to the permanent rules that are filed with the clerk, with the Rules Committee to conduct a public hearing early next week, followed by advancement by the Committee of proposed rules changes which will be debated on the floor shortly thereafter.

Senator Erdman is expected to propose rule changes that would eliminate secret votes for legislative leadership elections and bar the news media from Legislative Committee executive sessions. In addition, it is expected that a rule change to not count senators “present and not voting” when calculating the two-thirds vote needed to terminate a filibuster and advance a bill will also be debated.

Major issues expected to be addressed this session include workforce development, childcare incentives, and addressing rural and affordable housing shortages. Governor Pillen has also indicated that he will be proposing a 2% state sales tax increase to be coupled with “hard” spending caps for local political subdivisions in order to provide funding for a 40% reduction in property taxes paid on a statewide basis.

ANNUAL SMALL BUSINESS DAY AT THE CAPITOL: MARK YOUR CALENDAR

The annual Small Business Day at The Capitol will be held on March 14. Governor Pillen has accepted an invitation to attend, and a number of Committee chairs are expected to make presentations. More details to follow!