Deadlines quickly kill bills in the House

JACKSON (WNE) — Pressure mounts in the Legislature as some of the first deadlines approach.

Senators can no longer introduce any bills, and Monday was the last day for House bills to be introduced. The final day for legislation to be reported out of a committee in the chamber of origin, meaning a start in the House or Senate, is Friday.

There were 341 bills and six joint resolutions introduced in the House, as well as 197 bills and 11 resolutions in the Senate.

As of Monday afternoon, 95 bills and resolutions were killed in the House and won’t be introduced by leadership due to the slower pace at which the House is moving. Some of those include the Reproductive Freedom Act sponsored by Rep. Mike Yin, D-Jackson; a bill that would have banned employers from hiring undocumented immigrants and implemented state fees; a committee-sponsored bill for additional funding for K-12 school facilities; and a bill that would have created a state housing investment program that would have supplied grants and loans for housing projects.

No bills have been killed in this way by the Senate. Every bill was at least assigned to a committee, but committee chairs have discretion on which legislation they prioritize to get to the floor.

Lawmakers are also trying to balance the responsibility of the supplemental budget and bills on second and third reading. The Senate has received 53 pieces of legislation from the House so far, meaning a bill passed three readings in the House. The Senate has sent more than 83 bills and resolutions to the House after third reading.

This story was published on February 4, 2025.