This Pace Makes a Snail Look Like a Sprinter. Nothing really substantive to report from the past few days as there have been no formal meetings of the full E-12 Education Conference Committee.

The Early Intervention working group met for about an hour-and-a-half on Friday morning in an attempt to work out language differences that exist in the two bills on the Americorp reading program. Both bills contain the program, but there are language differences that need to be resolved.

Representative Greiling is in control of the gavel and the next meeting will occur when she calls it. By all reports, she is reluctant to call a meeting without the overall budget target being set. With two weeks left in the session, the target will have to be set shortly (obviously), but given the Governor's vetoes of three funding bills (the bonding bill, the economic development bill, and the state departments bill) has made things a bit more complicated. On the one hand, it appears the Governor is using the budget bill vetoes to direct dollars toward certain budget areas (perhaps, but not undoubtedly, education). Further, the Tax conference committee worked on both Friday and Saturday and what is contained in that bill certainly will have the largest effect on what the results of the session ultimately looks like.

Again, feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you might have as the session heads into the homestretch.