With the start of the second half of the legislative session, the House started its deliberations on bills that were introduced and passed in the Senate and conversely, the Senate started consideration of House bills. It was a quiet week with few committee meetings and very little legislative action, which is a normal sequence of events for the week after a Third Reading deadline.  

As a reminder, the second half of the legislative session essentially restarts the legislative process, (minus the introduction of any new bills). When bills move to the opposite chamber they can be amended, but the new chamber’s amendments are subject to approval by the originating chamber. If the original chamber refuses to consent to any changes, a conference committee will be formed. Conference committees consist of members from both chambers who work to create a version of the bill that both houses can agree on. Once a bill is approved by both chambers in some fashion, it can then proceed to the Governor for his signature or veto.

Many committees have begun hearing their bills but it’s important to remember that only 302 bills out of the original 895 are still in contention. While the schedule is slightly more intense, the volume is significantly less so.

One of the bills we are following, Senate Bill 207, has yet to be announced as having a hearing. You might remember SB 207 prohibits homeowners associations from regulating solar panels. With only three weeks of committee hearings during the short session, that allows bills three possible meetings of their respective committee in order to move forward. SB 207 is in the House Judiciary Committee, which has already met once. We are hopeful the bill is scheduled for a hearing soon.

Upcoming Next Week

Rep. Milo Smith (R-Columbus) will likely announce he’s hearing Senate Bill 326, the redistricting bill. We will be there along with All in for Democracy in the House Elections Committee for the hearing, joining a coalition of bipartisan groups calling on the House Committee to strengthen the bill to include language defining who makes redistricting decisions in the future.

Respectfully Submitted,
Lindsay Shipps & Kerwin Olson
Government Affairs