The fifteenth legislative day fell on Tuesday, February 6, 2024. There begins to be some movement of bills out of each chamber. Today the House and Senate passed some bills that will impact K-12 Education in our state.
Senate Passed the following bills out of their chamber:
SB 405 – Sen. Dixon –State Completion Schools‘ age of eligibility recommends a change from 18 years of age to 16 years of age. This relates to addressing the recent decline in enrollment in all of the completion schools. It passed the Senate 45-8. It will now move to the House Rules Committee for them to decide if it will move forward.
SB 344 – Sen. Anavitarte – Sales tax holiday for firearms and accessories. The bill proposed an 11-day tax-free period. Passed the Senate. Some confusion about an amendment that was added for this to apply 365 days. We will sort this out. This is just another tax break given by our state legislature in an election year. (popular theme right now)
House Passed the following bill out of their chamber:
HB 318 – Rep. Hilton – Expanding Charter School Commission Authority– Charter School Bill authorizing local and state funding to go to the local charter school even if the enrollment exceeds their projection by no more than 2%. This bill passed last year but was held up in a conference committee squabble and was passed on the House floor today with minor amendments. (Passed 147-10)
SB 63 – Sen. Robertson – Addressing Bail Bonds must require cash bond but judges remain with discretion on how much bond. This bill was also from the last session (2023) that went to a conference committee for some minor tweaks. Passed the House 95-67, with much debate.
The appropriations committee on the House side has HB 915 budget doc highlights coming to the floor tomorrow for a vote. This is the 2024 Amended Budget. Some minor adjustments were made but nothing significant for K-12 in the mid-year budget. Looks good overall for K-12.
Keep the faith. Do not get weary. Tomorrow is day 16 and the House Education sub-committees will be meeting. GSSA will report that activity tomorrow evening. Have a good afternoon.
