What can we learn about upcoming legislative sessions from reviewing prefiled bills?
Midterm elections are in the rear-view mirror and (most) state legislative sessions kick off in early January. What can you do NOW to organize and prepare for the 2023 Legislative Session?
One thing you will need to stay on top of (if you haven’t already) is the release of prefiled bills. Read on for more information about prefiled bills, how they can be tracked using Plural, and trends emerging from a few key states.
What are prefiled bills?
A prefiled bill is a piece of legislation that is submitted by a legislator prior to the start of the legislative session. These bills are visible on the legislature’s website once submitted but are not formally introduced until the first day of the legislative session. Bill prefiling allows legislators and staff to have more time to draft legislation and increases the efficiency of the legislative process by allowing committee referrals and public hearings to start quickly once the session begins.
Staying on top of prefiled bills increases your awareness of top priorities for legislators heading into session and grants you extra time to organize your team so that you can prepare to act on a piece of legislation from day one.
How can I use Plural to stay on top of prefiled bills?
We expect that as many as 26 states will accept prefiled bills before their session begins and we have already seen 16 states begin to share details of prefiled bills. Once a state begins to report prefiled bills, our engineers quickly ensure that your team can view, track, and comment on that legislation right in Plural. Our Saved Search feature also allows you to notify team members when a bill matching your interests is prefiled.
Checking in on prefiled bills so far in a few key states
Georgia
The 157th Georgia General Assembly that convenes on January 9th will look quite similar to the 156th Assembly that adjourned last Spring with Republicans maintaining comfortable majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Based on the prefiled bills introduced so far, it looks like the issues of voting and abortion rights continue to remain top of mind for lawmakers. HB 1, introduced by returning Democratic Rep. Dar’shun Kendrick, would provide state financial and medical aid to pregnant women who would have chosen to terminate the pregnancy had it not been for Georgia’s newly implemented six-week abortion ban. HB 2, prefiled by Democratic Rep. Jasmine Clark, would expand early voting ahead of elections.
Texas
Texas Republicans will have slightly larger majorities in the House and Senate when their session kicks off on January 10th in Austin and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are already busy, with more than 1,250 bills already prefiled. With so many bills already introduced, it can be challenging to identify trends, but some topics are clearly getting a lot of legislative attention:
- Education & Schools – Hundreds of prefiled bills are destined for the House and Senate Public Education committees. Many bills focus on school funding, school safety, and school curricula.
- Abortion Rights – Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, existing laws in Texas took effect, resulting in a near-total ban on abortion access in the state. The 2023 session will see continued legislative activity on abortion rights as Democrats have prefiled bills (like SB 227 and HB 819) repealing abortion bans and Republicans have prefiled bills (like HB 61 and HB 787) seeking to limit Texans’ access out of state travel to get an abortion.
Nevada
Unlike Texas and Georgia, where Republicans control the legislative and executive branches, Nevada will open its session on February 6th with Democratic control of the House and Senate and Republican control of the Governorship. Among the bills prefiled in Nevada so far, many are focused on expanding access to behavioral healthcare, dental healthcare, and telehealth. Education will be an area of focus in Nevada as well, as Governor-elect Lombardo has indicated he will seek to expand access to charter schools and several prefiled bills offer proposed changes to how education is funded in the state.
Regardless of what state you’re working in or what issues you’re focusing on, being the first to know about legislation is key to being prepared to have an impact. Tracking prefiled bills in Plural will ensure you, and your team, have no surprises on day one.
Prep for the 2023 session
Discover more best practices for advocating your issues more efficiently and effectively. Get your copy of “How to Prepare for the 2023 Legislative Session” today!
