March marks the midpoint of the legislative session. Most legislation has been introduced and committee hearings are taking place two or three days a week in the Senate.
Last month, the Senate held a budget workshop for its members led by Chairman Lou DiPalma. At that meeting, I raised the concern that we should be doing a threat assessment and mitigation plan for programs and Departments that receive federal funding. More than a third of the state budget comes from federal funding and so losing federal funds would be incredibly detrimental to our state. Well, earlier this week, the Department of Health disclosed that the CDC canceled $31 million in grants that would fund programs such as childhood vaccinations, laboratory capacity and epidemiology to prevent future pandemics. These cuts make us all less safe and are the direct result of the chaos in DC. I anticipate a special session will likely need to take place in the fall as the economic picture continues to change rapidly. I will keep you updated on the budget along with other items in future newsletters.
I encourage you to follow and participate in the work of the Senate — whether that means testifying on legislation or just following along on Capitol TV. You can track my bills (and all Senate and House bills) on the General Assembly's website.
Please reach out to me with any questions and concerns at sen-euer@rilegislature.gov.