The legislature is likely headed for special session later this week or next. What makes this extra session so unusual is that it wasn't the budget that sent it in to overtime. Despite being the worst recession since the great depression, legislators finished the budget a day early. And it most of the truly stuff got done the week before: Unemployment insurance reform and benefit increases, education reform and jobs programs.
Two things sent us into special session; number one was a group of bills that we just didn't get to but are needed; a school levy bill, a tax administration bill and a couple of criminal justice bills that may be needed to keep a healthy reserve.
The other set of bills was the a key Senate clean energy bill and a couple of other climate change bills that got caught up in a dispute in the house. The energy bill is still needed in order to meet a January 2010 for utilities to set conservation targets for the next decade.
The bottom line is that the legislature truly did their heavy lifting during the 105 day session. The special session could be short and sweet and will merely reflect that we ran a half a day short in finishing things up.
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