Consider This...

June 23, 2006

The “short session” may end up being too short.

That’s the fear that progressive advocates have now as the budget process winds down. Conventional wisdom suggests that legislators will have left town a month from now.

The budget battle has been better this year, with fewer earmarks stuffed in the budget and a somewhat more transparent process. But nearly seven weeks into the session, the General Assembly still has some critical unfinished business.

The most surprising thing still on the “to do” list is the minimum-wage increase. Too many people think that this is a done deal, but the law has not passed yet. Unless legislators can agree to share the political credit for its passage, there’s a very real danger that no increase will pass, leaving the working poor in the lurch for yet another year.

Lobbying and ethics reform are still on the table as well. You’d think these would be slam-dunk issues in this late era of scandal, but a few entrenched interests are pushing hard to keep reform from coming to the legislative floor.

Both the minimum-wage increase and government reform have vast majority support among voters as well as legislators.

If the General Assembly adjourns this summer without passing both a minimum-wage increase and lobbying and ethics reform, then it will have failed.

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