Haynie & Associates
The fast pace at the Capitol will intensify as we head into the final week of the 85-day Louisiana Regular Legislative Session, which will conclude no later than 6:00 p.m. on Monday, June 3. There has been growing talk of adjourning as early as Friday, May 31, but history and workload suggest that the budget and legislative compromises will go down to the wire.
Louisiana has no “crossover” date. However, next Friday is the last day for legislation to pass the “third reading and final passage” of the opposite body floor. If any bill is not passed by Friday at 6 p.m., it requires a two-thirds rule suspension of both bodies. It is not uncommon for house bills to “die on the vine,” meaning they do not get a vote on the Senate floor due to time limitations.
On Monday, the Senate will hear the newly received house bills and take up the requested HBs on the third reading, subject to a call. You can project the Senate having a similar working day on Tuesday. Bills taken off the subject-to-call list are controversial and are likely to be amended and possibly passed into law within a matter of days.
Bills being debated this late in the process, especially those coming off the subject-to-call list in the Senate, are controversial and have the element of time working against their passage unless there is a compromise. The decisions made by the legislature this week, including budget decisions, are some of the most critical of the session. The final day of the session is mostly reserved for conference committee votes, which can be unpredictable and bring about sudden changes to legislation.