LOOKING BACK AND AHEAD.
Rumor has it GOP leadership may be willing to meet with the governor to talk budget.
Senator Kavanagh sponsored 86 bills this session. 48 of the 86 passed out of the senate. 29 were passed on partisan lines. 4 were passed with unanimous bipartisanship. The remainder had a mix of party support.
2 Kavanagh bills are on the agenda for Monday in the senate as both chambers are slow to cross over bills.
SB1026 is Sen. Kavanagh’s “drag show” bill which got much press this session. This was only one of a number of bills targeting drag performers or facilities allowing performances. SB1026 prohibits public money being used for a performance targeting children and prohibits public facilities paying for a drag performance with private money. Libraries holding drag story hour appear to be the main target of the bill but school performances could have unintended consequences.
The bill’s definition of drag performance is problematic. The language given below is taken from the bill text.
“FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, "DRAG SHOW TARGETING MINORS" MEANS A SHOW OR PERFORMANCE FOR ENTERTAINMENT AT WHICH A SINGLE PERFORMER OR GROUP OF PERFORMERS DRESS IN CLOTHING AND MAKEUP OPPOSITE OF THE PERFORMER'S OR GROUP OF PERFORMERS' GENDER AT BIRTH TO EXAGGERATE GENDER SIGNIFIERS AND ROLES AND ENGAGE IN SINGING, DANCING OR A MONOLOGUE OR SKIT IN ORDER TO ENTERTAIN A TARGET AUDIENCE OF PERSONS UNDER EIGHTEEN YEARS OF AGE.”
Rep. Kolodin sponsored 19 bills this session. 3 of the 19 passed. The other 16 Kolodin bills appear to be dead.
HB2325 passed on partisan lines last week. Rep. Kolodin added a striker amendment to another bill to alter the way a person may vote in jail, not prison. The counties and recorders’ offices already have systems in place for mail in voting for those in jail. HB2325 changes many of the procedures. During the committee hearing Rep. Kolodin made numerous references to meeting the needs of his stakeholders. When asked who those stakeholders were, he replied, “my P.C.s.” (precinct committeepersons)
The bill dictates new procedures to county recorders and jails. It also allows political party representatives in the jail facility with unspecified ”equipment” necessary to verify voter eligibility. In addition, it prohibits federal only ballots. This bill passed with many objections from county and jail officials.
Rep. Chaplik sponsored only 5 bills this session. 2 were passed and the other 3 were not even granted a committee hearing.
HCR2039 was passed out of the House last week. It is a resolution that, if passed by the senate, will go to voters as a ballot question in 2024. It ropes in the emergency authority of the governor giving more power to the legislature. It's one of many bills pushed by the Freedom Caucus telling the 9th floor of the capitol "you're not the boss of me". Since it is a resolution, if passed in the senate, it will not go to the governor for a signature.