Voting, school bills facing deadline

The Clarion-Ledger, 1/26/9

State lawmakers will be busy this week trying to meet a key deadline for advancing legislation, some of which eventually could lead to early voting, more charter schools and Medicaid reform.

If bills aren’t reported out of committees in the chamber they originated in by Feb. 3, they will die this session. Hundreds of bills have been filed in the 90-day regular legislative session that began earlier this month and ends in April.

Child protection regulations and election reform are just a few of the bills expected to survive. Surviving legislation must clear more hurdles before becoming law, though.

Among the measures that face almost certain death include a pay raise for elected officials.