Senate Democrats announce election and voting reforms (May 1, 2018 – Senate Democrats)
Four bills from Senate Democrats will receive committee consideration this week after their sponsors requested action under the chamber’s rules.
The bills address price gouging, create a Down’s Syndrome awareness license plate, ban conversion therapy for minors, and re-establish part-time tuition assistance for college students. The motions for committee consideration only ensure the legislation will receive a committee vote and are usually done to make a political statement, as bills moved by this type of procedural method rarely get a vote on the floor.
One indicator that three of these bills are heading nowhere fast is their committee referrals. These bills will require action by other committees instead of being sent directly to the floor. Committee referrals are primarily made at the direction of the majority party in either house.
In March, a handful of Democratic senators filed motions for committee consideration that have yet to receive any action.
.@SenGianaris requested action by #NYSenate Investigations on his bill prohibiting state reimbursement of campaign committees or legal defense funds for payments made on behalf of the criminal defense of a state employee.
— David Lombardo (@poozer87) March 19, 2018
Senate Democrats are also scheduled on Monday to bring a package of their voting reform measures to the floor in the form of hostile amendments. The amendments will likely be ruled out of order by the Senate Republicans and then there will be a doom procedural vote appealing the ruling (based on every other time in recent memory that this has been attempted).
Senate Republicans will be advancing a package of their “affordability” measures through the Rules Committee on Monday, according to Senate Republican spokesman Scott Reif. These bills could then be passed later in the day or any time during the three-day week.
The Capitol Confidential team: