First Day Back

Post #28 

Tomorrow, the General Assembly reconvenes for the final year of a four-year term.  The first day of a legislative session always reminded me of the first day back at school.  After a long time apart, you get to see your friends and colleagues again.  Everything is familiar, and yet somehow everything is new as well.

Some unsuccessful bills will return for another try, and there will be a host of new proposals and challenges to address during the 90-day session.

This year, I suspect that the excitement will be somewhat muted. This will be the final session for some of the 188 legislators.  While some have decided not to run for reelection, others will be defeated in either primary or general election races.  Looking ahead to next January, the leadership as well as the dynamic on each standing committee is likely to be different. Regardless, the state's fiscal challenge is something they must confront this year.

While I hesitate to use that word “crisis” for fear of appearing too negative, I’m not sure how else to label what appears to be a $2 billion shortfall in our state’s operating budget.

I have heard rumors that all committee chairs have been given strict instructions regarding the bills they may pass out of their committees.  If the fiscal cost exceeds that which the House Speaker and Senate President deem affordable, the bill is to be killed.  I fear that a lot of creative and worthy ideas will not be successful this year.

What I expect we’ll see, instead, are symbolic proposals being debated.  This will be especially true for incumbents who wish to brag about their achievements back home on the campaign trail.   I would guess that there will be an unusually high number of Task Forces, Select Committees, and internal legislative reforms that sound good, cost little, but accomplish even less.

The most important question that remains to be answered is whether the General Assembly will institute any serious fiscal reforms to ensure the state remains solvent in the longer term.  Rather than sweeping the issue under the carpet until after the election and passing insignificant and politically expedient legislation, will the members of the House of Delegates and the Senate muster the courage to make the difficult decisions this year? Stay tuned!

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader!  What are your expectations for this year’s General Assembly?  Will you vote against incumbents who cast difficult votes if they are actually working toward fiscal solutions?   You may send an email to Blog@CherylKagan.org or click on the "Comments" link below to express your views.  Please be sure to indicate which post (#28) you're addressing.

Thanks for reading.  I will post again soon.