The Week Ahead (Sine Die Edition)

Today is Sine Die, the last day of the 2013 legislative session. It's been a busy session, between passing the budget, raising the gas tax, enacting gun control, and repealing the death penalty, among other issues--but with less drama than last year. Look for our in-depth review of the session on our blog later this week.

Last week we blogged about the legislature missing the budget target date, the supplemental budget introduced by Governor O'Malley, national employment trends in March, and the budget conference committee report.

For the week of April 8th to April 14th:

• Monday being the last day of the 2013 session, the legislature is scheduled to rush through its remaining workload, including bills on: speed cameras, medical marijuana, pit bulls, and driving while using a mobile device.
• The Commission on State Debt, which advises the Board of Public Works on the property tax rate, also meets Monday, April 8th at 2pm in the Treasury Building, Annapolis. 
• The Advisory Council for Alternative Response meets on Tuesday, April 9th at 1pm in the Department of Human Resources, 311 West Saratoga Street, Baltimore. 
• The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases metropolitan level employment figures for February on Wednesday, April 10th. 
• The Health Services Cost Review Commission holds their monthly meeting at 1pm on Wednesday, April 10th at 4160 Patterson Avenue, Baltimore. 
• The Census Bureau releases the 2012 edition of their Annual Survey of State Government Tax Collections on Thursday, April 11th.
• The Maryland Health Insurance Plan Board of Directors holds its monthly meeting at 9am on Thursday, April 11th at 201 E. Baltimore Street, Baltimore.

The Week Ahead

Today is the last day of the regular session, otherwise known as Sine Die Day.  The legislature has a lot to get through before midnight tonight, not the least of which is passing a balanced budget.  Both chambers passed their version of the budget more than a week ago, and the conference committees have been trying to hammer out a compromise ever since. It should make for an interesting - and long - day in Annapolis. 

If the General Assembly fails to pass a budget, they will go into a special session during which they can only work on the budget.  Tired advocates, lobbyists, and legislators are hoping this doesn't happen.  Either way, we'll know by tomorrow morning.