[co-authors: Katelyn Kingsbury and Drew Moretz, Government Relations Advisors]

This week at the General Assembly, conferees worked on the budget bill and legislators considered various other bills.            

Budget Bill

Legislators from both chambers this week continued work in a Budget Conference Committee on the biennial budget bill (S 105). Among the differences between the bills passed by each house are the amount of educator salaries, tax reductions and infrastructure spending. Legislative leaders have been quoted in press reports indicating that a budget agreement might not be reached until late-September to early-October. Although a new budget bill was not enacted before the end of the state’s fiscal year on June 30, state government operations are continuing pursuant to state law with spending at the FY 21 recurring funding levels.   

Redistricting

Public hearings began this week on legislative and congressional redistricting, a process that occurs every ten years after the Census. The hearings continue through Sept. 30 and then legislators will draw new maps. A link to the public hearing schedule can be found here.

ABC Law Changes

This week, legislators passed a bill (H 890) to make a number of changes in ABC laws and sent the bill to the Governor. Among other things, the bill allows for online orders from ABC stores, ABC stores to sell refrigerated beverages and tax-exempt organizations to have alcohol at game nights if they acquire a special permit. It also includes provisions to create “social districts” to allow cities to permit alcohol sales and consumption in outdoor areas and makes permanent the allowance of alcohol service outside many restaurants that expanded their facilities to include sidewalks and alleyways during the pandemic.