12 March Daily Radio Script

By the end of the week the House had addressed almost 100 bills and resolutions since going into session Thursday morning. Friday was particularly long and hectic because it was the cut off at which the House will accept Senate bills and at which the Senate will accept House bills.

That means that if a bill, which has been through the rigorous committee process and all the other hurdles proposed legislation faces, has a chance of passage this year … it had to cross over to the opposite chamber before the gavel fell on that 30 th day.

Passing by the narrowest margin Friday was House Bill 501. After considerable debate, this one hundred forty eight page bill creates a successor to the Department of Motor Vehicle Safety to be known as the Department of Driver Services. The aim is to put in place a more consumer friendly and efficient agency responsible for issuing driver’s licenses and other related services.

A whole host of other bills also passed Friday ranging from measures clarifying guidelines for labor organizations using member contributions in political campaigns to making sure wives and husbands are not disqualified from unemployment compensation when they have to leave a job because of a military spouse’s transfer.

Also this week bills passed which would authorize the sale of lottery tickets on line and set the last weekend in July as a sales tax holiday on the purchase of school supplies.

I’m ______________ reporting from the Capitol.