In yet another sign that life is returning to normal at the General Assembly, the Executive Committee is preparing to end its use of Joint Rule 44, an emergency declaration that the legislature has been operating under for the past year.

In a June 8 letter, the executive committee – the six leaders of the General Assembly from both parties – said the legislature has operated under difficult and unprecedented circumstances.

With the worst of the pandemic over, the legislature is ready to go back to normal operations, the letter said.

What that means: in the near future, the Executive Committee plans to meet to formally take action to end the use of Joint Rule 44, which allowed lawmakers to participate remotely throughout the past year. 

The Executive Committee also plans to set up interim committees to figure out how to spend the $3.8 billion the state received from the American Rescue Plan. Several bills have already been passed tied to the ARP money, but those bills primarily set up accounts for the money rather than dictating how those dollars would be spent. The interim committees, the letter said, will work on bills on behavioral health, housing and economic stimulus.

“We look forward to beginning the next legislative session under normal and safe circumstances, including returning to the traditional 120-day consecutive legislative session.

The 2022 session is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Jan. 12.

Interim committee membership has not yet been announced, and the committee ties to the American Rescue Plan money won’t be the only ones. After suspending interim committees in 2020, several are expected to resume for this summer, including a committee that will tackle the fourth year of work on the revisions to the School Finance Act. Other interim committees expected to meet this summer and fall include the early childhood and school readiness group, committees on water and wildfires, and a statewide health care review committee.

Executive Committee letter June 8 2021