Legislative Update

It appears that tempers are already frayed to the breaking point over the
entire Special Session and there is every possibility that this will prove
to be another wasted $ 2 million +. HB 1 is going nowhere in the Senate
Finance Committee. There are not enough votes to pass the House version.
Senator Shapiro's version could not get any where either.
Six of the nine Republican Senators walked out of the committee in protest
this morning and Chairman Ogden ordered the Sergeant at Arms to find them
and return them to the hearing. He snidely remarked that he should check
the airport first.
The hearing was finally rescheduled for Saturday morning at 9:30am. I
won't be there as I am headed home to give Gwen my pickup and get her car
to drive to the NCOM Convention on Tuesday night.
HB 5, the cigarette tax still doesn't have enough votes to come out of
committee as written by the House either. The only Bill to be passed by
both House's is HB 3 the business tax Bill.

Time is their enemy now and it is possible there may be some kind of a
very bad compromise passed just to meet the June 1st deadline with
promises of making major changes in the regular session next year. If that
happens we all know changes for the better will not be forthcoming.
Hang on to your hat because we are in for one hell of a ride during this
coming week.

Sput