The 2022 legislative session begins a week from today and nearly 1,200 bills have been filed. Lapolitics.com publisher Jeremy Alford says there are a wide variety of topics for legislators to debate.
“There’s a host of marijuana bills, bills about Confederate holidays, the death penalty, drunk driving bills, wind farms, there’s legislation to ban pornography on college campuses,” said Alford.
Alford says lawmakers will also have to approve a budget and decide how to spend two billion dollars in surplus money, much of it coming from the federal government. He says there will also be a debate on social issues like critical race theory, transgender athletes, vaccines, and abortions.
“There are plenty of distractions, plenty of meaty issues, plenty of controversies that will make headlines, it’s going to be one barnburner of a session for sure,” said Alford.
Lawmakers were at the Capitol last month for a redistricting session. Alford says political maps will be discussed again as Black lawmakers continue to push for additional majority-minority districts.
“Some lawmakers have already started filing bills to redraw the maps during the regular session, some lawmakers are talking about a possible veto override session depending on what the governor does,” said Alford.
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