Next week the Legislature kicks into high gear again.  Given the actions of this week the focus will be on advancing key components required to reach a final budget deal.

The House passed a proposed biennial operating budget along party lines on Thursday.  However further action on revenue, which underlies the operating budget, has yet to be scheduled (at the time of this blog).  The House also advanced, with a strong bipartisan vote, a biennial capital budget.  The House operating and capital budgets now go to the Senate for consideration.

The Senate spent nine hours debating a proposed operating budget on Thursday and Friday.  However a final vote was not taken to advance the proposal to the House. It is expected that the Senate will take the operating budget up again next week for a final vote.  The Senate has also not released its proposed biennial capital budget.  It is expected that the Senate’s capital budget will likely be released next week followed by action to advance it to the House.

Within that context both the House and Senate must take action on bills referred to a fiscal committee by the end of day on April 7.  Dozens and dozens of bills await their fate in the fiscal committees.

For higher education this includes legislation to create a task force on mental health and suicide in higher education, remove tuition-setting authority, align state and federal student veteran residency policies, a study of higher education cost drivers, the display of campus data, and recommendations to the College Bound Scholarship program.