Senate committee advances scores of bills and resolutions; several tabled with letters to agencies

The Senate committee convened and considered a wide docket of joint resolutions, bills and studies on topics ranging from election timing and judicial staffing to pandemic preparedness and school health services.

Senators reported many items out of committee, approved technical and friendly amendments, and in several cases laid bills on the table but directed the presiding officer to send letters to state agencies asking them to convene work groups or carry out certain studies.

The committee debated a handful of items at length and primarily handled the remainder as routine reports. Senator Servais described SJ 253 as “a 2 part thing. 1 is to study whether or not we should consolidate our elections with the federal cycle and number 2 is if so, how do we do it,” and warned the transition “is actually very complicated probably 6 to 8 year[s] process to do it starting from today if we were to actually do it.”

On judicial selection, Senator Sarva (transcript: “Senate Joint Resolution 2 59”) said the current weighted caseload study recommended eliminating judgeships and recommended JLARC take “a deep dive” to review the methodology; the committee agreed to report that resolution out of committee.

Several pandemic-related studies that had been submitted by a joint subcommittee were not advanced as standalone statutes. Instead the committee voted to lay multiple pandemic-response bills on the table with letters asking the Department of Emergency Management, the Department of Health, or other relevant agencies to convene work groups and report back. Senator Perry described the joint subcommittee recommendations as addressing the Commonwealth’s reliance on grants,…