Dover finishes year with frenzied rush

There’s less than a month to go before the end of the 145th legislative session. As a result, lawmakers have been putting in longer hours lately. But is this “final month rush” really the best way to get things done?

In Dover, Delaware, there’s less than a month to go before the end of the 145th legislative session. The six-month session ends June 30th, the same day a balanced budget is due. As a result, lawmakers have been putting in longer hours lately. But is this “final month rush” really the best way to get things done?

Listen:
[audio: 090604bcrush.mp3]

House will come to order, legislators will take their seats.

Thursday there were 23 bills on the house agenda, and the 10 remaining legislative days figure to be just as busy. So the question is, in Delaware’s legislative process, is too much crammed into the final weeks?

State representative John Kowalko.

Kowalko: It’s not crammed, but I think sometimes we are looking at a burden that almost becomes overwhelming to accomplish some of the things we do, and I don’t want to see that hurt the system.

The leaders of both the house of representatives and the senate say the session definitely builds to a crescendo, but that doesn’t mean they’re not just as busy the rest of the year.