In the Senate, we're running up against the policy deadline, and action on policy bills is fast and furious. Agendas are growing as authors convince committee chairs that their bills really do need a hearing.
Regardless of whether a bill is about environment, health care, transportation, or whatever, hundreds of bills have to make a stop in committees such as Judiciary or State and Local Government Operations and Oversight because some provision in their bill references rule making, data privacy issues, task forces, criminal or civil penalties, or something that is the purview of these committees. It always surprises me how many policy committees could have jurisdiction of one bill. For example, you might have a bill that starts in Commerce but requires that some data be private and that it would be a gross misdemeanor to violate the provision. So those two provisions send you off to Judiciary.
Then if the Finance department thinks a lot of people will commit these violations, the costs to the public safety and corrections departments might send you off to the Finance committee. The committee work for the Finance committee is done in the divisions, so the bill might then go to the Public Safety budget division. If the Commerce department would need to hire a couple of people to enforce the provisions of the bill, the bill might also have to go to the Economic Development budget division as well. Once the divisions are done with their work, the bill would either be rolled into an omnibus funding bill or go back to the Finance committee before going to the Senate floor for a vote.
And people wonder why we can't pass bills quickly!
Regardless of whether a bill is about environment, health care, transportation, or whatever, hundreds of bills have to make a stop in committees such as Judiciary or State and Local Government Operations and Oversight because some provision in their bill references rule making, data privacy issues, task forces, criminal or civil penalties, or something that is the purview of these committees. It always surprises me how many policy committees could have jurisdiction of one bill. For example, you might have a bill that starts in Commerce but requires that some data be private and that it would be a gross misdemeanor to violate the provision. So those two provisions send you off to Judiciary.
Then if the Finance department thinks a lot of people will commit these violations, the costs to the public safety and corrections departments might send you off to the Finance committee. The committee work for the Finance committee is done in the divisions, so the bill might then go to the Public Safety budget division. If the Commerce department would need to hire a couple of people to enforce the provisions of the bill, the bill might also have to go to the Economic Development budget division as well. Once the divisions are done with their work, the bill would either be rolled into an omnibus funding bill or go back to the Finance committee before going to the Senate floor for a vote.
And people wonder why we can't pass bills quickly!