Monday, May 21, 2012

2012 Short Session Begins


2012 Legislative Session Convenes
The 2012 Legislative Session officially convened on Wednesday (5/16) and is expected to move quickly. Legislative leaders aim to conclude the session before the start of the next fiscal year on July 1. 

Here are a couple of Legislative that will come before the General Assembly during this session.

 
Education Reform
During a special session in April, Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, along with Senators Jerry Tillman and Tom Apodaca, introduced Senate Bill 795: Excellent Public Schools Act. This piece of legislation has several items impacting our local school system.  A couple of items found in the legislation is the promoting public-private partnerships through a streamlined lateral entry process that allows business professionals to enter the classroom at a faster rate and pushing for reading-intensive instruction that ensures students have a solid foundation to continue learning.  Another item is the funding for the five additional days of instruction that was added to the school calender this past year. Click here to learn more about the Senate plan.




Transportation and Infrastructure
Last November, the House passed House Bill 645: Motor Fuel Excise Tax Adjustments and Studies, which would cap the gas tax at 35 cents for one year. On Wednesday (5/16), the Senate referred the bill to the Senate Finance Committee where it is expected to be heard during the short session. This legislation may negatively impact road maintenance, bridge repairs, decreasing traffic congestion and other vital transportation projects statewide, including the Hwy 74 By-pass.  Watch this bill.




A couple of pieces of legislation concerning Tax Policy have been introduced.   Senate Bill 827: Extend Tax Provisions, would extend tax credits that are scheduled to expire on January 1, 2013 for one year. Click on the link above to see which job creation tax credits are being extended.

That's the first look at this session of the Legislature.  I'll try to keep you up to date on the development of the above mentioned legislation and other bills that will impact the business community.  

Don't forget our trip to Raleigh.  June 13th.  Call and make your reservation.







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