One of the big milestones in the legislative process happened this week. What’s called Crossover day, requires all bills be completed in the chamber it originated. This year’s crossover day was ahead of schedule.
This year’s legislative session has around 100 fewer bills then last year and some lawmakers feel this is the reason for a non-stressful crossover day deadline. Speaker of the House Brian Gosch has a different theory. He credits the leadership in both the House and Senate.
"When you have good leadership on both sides that are communicating well, things go through the process smoother, quicker. You don’t need to have the gamesmanship going on and you don’t need to hold certain bills and wait to see what happens with other bills," Speaker Gosch says.
Others like Democratic State Senator Jason Frerichs credit leadership in the committees. He says their ability to defeat a bill instead of sending it down to the floor to be defeated, is key. Senator Frerichs also says the legislative process can still move slower than expected.
"At the same time, as was the case last year and as is the case this year, we still see an immense amount of vehicle bills that can be frustrating to those that are students to the process," Senator Frerichs says.
Both Senate and House lawmakers believe there could be more enthusiasm in these last few weeks, because of the swift movement through the crossover deadline.
