The House and Senate wrapped up pre-session committee weeks December 3, 2021 and legislators returned to their home districts for the holiday season. The 2022 legislative session will start Tuesday, January 11, 2022, and committees will then resume meeting.

In the final days of pre-session committee hearings, the Senate Judicial Committee voted 7-4 in favor of SB 620 sponsored by Sen. Travis Hutson. This bill will next be heard by the Senate Rules Committee. On the House side, the Local Administration & Veterans Affairs Subcommittee voted 11-4 in favor of HB 403 sponsored by Rep. Mike Giallombardo. This bill has been forwarded to the House Civil Justice & Property Rights Subcommittee to be heard.

SB 620 LOCAL GOVERNMENT and HB 569 BUSINESS DAMAGES CAUSED BY LOCAL GOVERNMENTS (sponsored by Rep. Lawrence McClure): If passed into law, these bills will give businesses power to dictate what ordinances local elected officials can enact. The bills allow for a business that suffers a minimum of 15% profit loss related to an enacted ordinance to file a lawsuit against the local government.

SB 280 LOCAL ORDINANCES (sponsored by Sen. Travis Hutson) and HB 403 LOCAL ORDINANCES: If passed into law will force local governments to decide between enacting necessary ordinances to protect its stakeholders – residents, businesses, and visitors – or increase your taxes.