It's finally over. The legislative session has concluded after a dizzying amount of work and heavy lifting. We'll send out a post-session report next week that recaps our most vital bills (so far) in the 131st Legislature. Don't forget that things will pick up again in January 2024.
Want to know how democracy-friendly your legislators are? We'll publish our 2023 Legislative Scorecard soon. The scorecard ranks your legislators on how they voted on our priority bills, ranging from money in politics issues to increasing ballot access. The scorecard launches in August, so keep an eye on your inbox.
Here are your weekly updates 👇
Last week the Legislature finally adjourned sine die after working into the wee morning hours. It means that the session has concluded for now and will reconvene in 2024.
Governor Mills still has 10 days from when the final bills are enacted to sign or veto them. Now that the legislative session has concluded, we've entered pocket veto territory. She could choose to try pocket veto any legislation passed late in the game.
Signed into law:
- LD 1155 — Increasing Legislative Salaries: The governor signed this bill into law last Friday. It'll increase the overall pay for legislators. We support this measure and believe this is one way to increase equity and equal representation in the Legislature.
Carried Over into 2024:
- LD 577 — Improving Local Election Information: This bill would provide state support for towns to disseminate local election information online. We support it, but it was carried over into 2024 since it didn't survive the special appropriations process because it requires funding.
Dead, and it's good news:
- LD 1356 — Increasing Municipal Signature Requirements: This bill would have increased the percentage of voters required to sign for local ballot questions. This would have negatively affected small, rural towns where signature collection is already difficult and rare. We opposed this one, and we're happy that it's dead.