Thursday, October 22, 2009

Day 6 Special Session: Where We Are Now

Things seemed to be humming when I left this building last night. The Senate past a $100 million plus revenue bill. The House Appropriations & Finance Committee recommended a budget bill.

But now -- about 2:30 p.m., the House has yet to act on its budget bill and the Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez has said the Senate will do its own budget bill.

House just recessed a few minutes ago for committee meetings. The Tax & Revenue Committee will begin working on a capital outlay bill.

Meanwhile, the Senate has been out for more than an hour. They're waiting, supposedly for a fiscal impact report on its own capital outlay bill, one that would use short-term "sponge" bonds to fee up $140 million in capital outlay money (which then would could that much of the general fund deficit).

House Speaker Ben Lujan said the next House floor session probably will start between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. The House Dems are about to go into caucus. House Republicans too.

It's gonna be another long one.