Editor’s Note:  Talk Business contributor Steve Brawner reports that there will be major decisions debated at Wednesday’s Joint Budget Committee hearing regarding annual legislative sessions.  One senator will propose altering regular sessions to even-numbered years.

Members of the Joint Budget Committee will start hashing out the details of next year’s first even-numbered budget session when they meet on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the co-sponsor of the amendment creating the sessions plans to file a bill that will alter the current format so that fiscal sessions occur in odd-numbered years while regular sessions occur in even-numbered years.

The amendment’s co-sponsor, Sen. Bill Pritchard (R-Elkins), an alternate on the budget committee, said he will file the bill later to “swap” the sessions. Pritchard said the move, which is authorized by the amendment, would give newly elected legislators more time to educate themselves on the issues and their responsibilities before the regular session. Currently, legislators convene in regular session two months after the election.

The amendment calls for fiscal sessions to begin every other February but allows legislators to change the date. The committee’s chairman, Sen. Gilbert Baker, (R-Conway), and vice chairman, Sen. Terry Smith (D-Hot Springs), said legislators could push for an earlier date so they can be in and out of session before the primary election season begins.

Voters overwhelmingly approved changing to annual sessions in last November’s elections. The off-year sessions are to focus only on budget matters and are to last no more than 30 days, with one 15-day extension allowed. However, members can vote on any bill that musters a two-thirds vote for consideration in both houses. Also, the amendment requires a two-thirds vote to extend the regular session for 15 days and a three-fourths vote to extend it beyond 75 days.  Previously, regular sessions could be extended indefinitely with a two-thirds vote.

Another issue involves the expansiveness of pre-budget hearings that occur before each session. Baker expects those to be narrower in scope than past hearings.

Committee members will arrive with a vague framework prepared by legislative leaders and presented to them in December. Baker said he didn’t know how members of the committee, which consists of 28 senators and 28 representatives, were leaning on various questions.  Smith said he thought much of the committee’s work will be completed in the Wednesday meeting.

Sen. Bobby Glover (D-Carlisle) has filed a resolution to refer a measure to the voters to repeal the annual sessions. He is the only sponsor listed but said in an interview Monday that he had not solicited co-sponsors before filing it and already has received support from some legislators. He said chances for passage were better in the Senate than in the House.

Smith, who is term-limited, said he questioned whether the resolution will make it out of the Legislature given that seven out of 10 voters supported the change. Glover said he understood that concern, but didn’t think there was enough public discussion before the election for voters to make an informed decision.

Steve Brawner is a free-lance writer and contributor to Talk Business.  You can reach him by e-mail at brawnersteve@mac.com.