Capitol update for May 1, 2009

This Week @ the Capitol

This week at the Capitol began in earnest the conference committee process, as all the major conference committees began going section by section through the budget bills, adopting some same and similar language, and hearing testimony on a few provisions. Sitting in a Capitol hearing room on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in May is an important part of the process!

There is not much specific activity to report. In the Education conference committee, some discussion has occurred about both the QRS and the proposed changes to School Readiness. Expect the committee to take action on some of the early childhood provisions on Monday.

Finally, some early care and education organizations are submitting memos to conference committee members, outlining our priorities. As these are completed, they will be posted in the Public Policy section of our website.

Here are some other links to useful information:

Ready 4 K omnibus bill tracker (updated and organized by conference committee now)

Legislative side-by-side of bills

• Article 6 of the education bills—early childhood side-by-side
• Article 2 of the human services bills—child care side-by-side (article 13 includes federal stimulus dollar spending, and is not posted on-line yet)

Coming Up @ the Capitol

Conference committees are expected to meet often and late throughout the week, as the final deadline of Thursday, May 7 approaches. Their work is of course dependent on leadership and the Governor reaching consensus on budget targets, which is not a foregone conclusion at this point. Please check the legislative schedule page for the most up-to-date schedule information.

What you can do
Visit the Capitol to see the action up close. You can always stop by your legislators' office or send them a note on the House or Senate floor. For information on the state legislature, including directions to the State Capitol and State Office Building, visit the Legislature's website.