Senate hears first‑reader bills; committees set early hearing schedules

On Jan. 20 the clerk read two first‑reader bills to the Senate and referred both to their appropriate standing committees.

The clerk introduced Senate Bill 280, sponsored by Senator Augustine, addressing terminology related to natural resources and state parks, and Senate Bill 281, also sponsored by Senator Augustine, titled the Metro Funding Modification Act of 2026. The presiding officer noted the bills would move to committee for consideration and that the initial weeks of the session would be committee‑focused.

Committee chairs gave schedules for upcoming briefings and hearings. The Chair of Finance said the committee would be excused for the afternoon but would hold briefings the next day, including a 12:00 p.m. joint briefing on emergency department wait times, and planned its first bill hearing later in the week. The Chair of the Education, Energy and the Environment Committee said the committee would begin bill hearings at 11:00 a.m. the next day with several election‑related bills on the docket. Chairs of Budget and Taxation and Judicial Proceedings likewise announced times for upcoming hearings and departmental matters.

The Minority Leader asked chairs to take care in assigning hearing formats — full panels, sponsor‑only, or limited support/opposition panels — depending on bill history and volume; the presiding officer said leadership would follow up. No floor debate or votes on the two bills were recorded during the pro forma session; both were referred to committees.