Appropriations chair: dozens of conference reports ‘effectively dead’ after House docket closed; senators weigh suspension or special session

Senator Hobson, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, told fellow senators that the House docket room was closed and, as a result, many appropriations conference reports could not be filed and were “effectively dead” for the current conference weekend.

Hobson said negotiators had completed roughly 70 of about 105 appropriations bills they intended to resolve, and he expected another 20 to 25 Senate-originated conference reports were ready for conferees to review at the 2:16 p.m. post-recess meeting. But because the House was not in session and its docket room was closed, Hobson said those conference reports could not be filed and therefore could not move forward.

Why it matters

Appropriations conference reports finance state government operations and programs. If the reports cannot be filed and passed, funding for specific programs and settlements could be delayed or lost, and lawmakers may need to hold a suspension resolution to extend filing deadlines or call a special…