Things Just Don’t Seem to Go Quite Right

Yesterday we watched the Senate debate and destroy a tax plan, ultimately voting 1 to 30 to kill it.

Today we learned that the House had their tax bill – SB 29 – up for debate. Apparently mindful of the events in the Senate, it was decided that the House would gut SB 29, put only the tax amnesty program into it and pass it out on emergency final action. If successful this would put a bill in conference that had just one provision that touched on most sources of taxation. The conference committee could then craft a new plan which would be subject to simple up or down votes in both chambers. No amendments could be offered.

If they did things right, the bill could be rejected and sent back to conference where a new agreement could be assembled and run up the flagpole.

Before debate could take place they had to manage a procedural vote allowing them to move the bill up for debate and emergency final action.

That motion was made and on a division vote got 72 yes votes to 40 no votes. A motion of this type takes a supermajority of 84 votes so the motion failed.

Legislators gathered on the floor and the chamber stood at ease for some time. It appeared that there might be an effort to call for a reconsideration and try again to get the bill up for debate and a vote. But when it became clear that the votes were not there, the body was adjourned until 9:00 tomorrow morning.

After the failure to move SB 29, the House Tax Committee got together to talk about the next steps.

It was agreed that they would bring SB 270 (another tax bill) up on the floor and open it up to amendments and a full-blown tax debate.

Representatives Rhoades and Brunk both suggested amendments they might be interested in trying and the Committee adjourned for the day.

Well, apparently not legislators or lobbyists! Senate President Susan Wagle told the Senate to hold on to their hotel rooms. She hopes to keep going through the weekend and get this show wrapped up.

Similar talk is happening in the House.

It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which things get finalized over the next three days given the multiple factions in both chambers and the degree to which each faction has decided what they will and will not fall on the sword over.