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Legislative Session Stalls as Senate Debates FRA Bill
This week, the legislative session came to a slow crawl as the Senate Freedom Caucus members began a filibuster Tuesday morning as soon as Senate Floor Leader Cindy O’Laughlin (R-Shelby) made a motion to bring SB 748, the Federal Reimbursement Act (FRA) bill, up for consideration and debate. The bill is a “must pass” piece of legislation. It re-authorizes a tax on healthcare providers, the proceeds of which are used to pay for healthcare services, in turn drawing down federal funds also used for healthcare services. Failure to pass the bill would have resulted in a multi-billion dollar hole in the state budget.
Fortunately, the Freedom Caucus ended the filibuster early Thursday morning, allowing the Senate to perfect the bill, opening the door to continued debate on the budget. Following the vote, the Senate adjourned for the week. They will return on Monday and have until Friday at 6 p.m. to pass the Senate version of the budget, resolve any differences between their version and the House, and then truly agree and finally pass the budget before sending it to the Governor.
Keep the legislators in your prayers, as there are only two weeks remaining in the session.
Deacon Tyler
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