Riparian zone bill fails, more bad bills looming

The house of origin cutoff was this week, meaning all House bills not necessary to implement the budget must pass the House and be sent over to the Senate (and vice-versa) or else they are considered “dead” for the year.

At this time of the session, it’s not unusual to spend long nights on the House floor debating amendments, procedures, and voting on bills. However, one floor fight that occurred on Feb. 21 is worth mentioning. This nine-hour floor session on House Bill 1837 began around 9 p.m. and went until around 6:30 a.m. on Feb. 22.

House Bill 1837 will overturn a 2003 initiative backed b...