After a hiatus due to the pandemic, state lawmakers headed back to the state capitol on Monday to reconvene the annual legislative session.
Some lawmakers, however, say it’s too soon with the governor’s stay at home order still in effect.
Strong objections were noted from the Legislative Black Caucus and Democratic caucus, each of which pointed out that assembling lawmakers, staffers and interested parties at the Capitol puts their health at risk.
But Senate President Page Cortez and House Speaker Clay Schexnayder made the decision to reconvene with social distancing and mitigation efforts despite that apprehension.
Lawmakers will be trying to fit in as much as possible in a condensed amount of time, 28 days to be exact. Top importance is the state’s operating budget and emphasizing legislation dealing with COVID-19.
Fixing the state’s high insurance rates was the headline issue before the pandemic. Now, it’s likely to be a battle to try and squeeze it in.
The consensus is there will likely be a special session called, possibly two.
The regular session must end by June 1 at 6 p.m.
BATON ROUGE