Regular Session Ends Quietly.  Special Session Commences Immediately.  Rather than frantically attempt--and fail given the time constraints--to pass a bevy of bills with the clock winding down, the Legislature decided to adjourn slightly before midnight.  The Governor has called a special session beginning tomorrow and the Legislature will start its work bright and early and try to work through the budget bills remaining from the regular session by Wednesday morning.  Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka informed the Senate that there is agreement on all of the bills and that work will go on during the night to have them ready to go when the House of Representatives and Senate convene tomorrow.  For those of you wondering what to look for, in a special session, everything is set back to zero.  Each of the conference committee reports from the regular session will be drafted as a bill and be numbered from HF 1/SF 1 upward.  I do not know what is in the education bill, but will likely find out when I get to the Capitol tomorrow morning and will post details when I get them.  I would guess that there will be a 2% increase on the basic formula in each of the next two years and some money for early childhood education in a yet-to-be-determined form.  Rumor has it the Governor was using all of his persuasive power to try to expand his voluntary pre-kindergarten program, but the legislative leaders were not receptive to his entreaties.

So tomorrow is shaping up to be a long day, so how about a little Marshall Tucker's "24 Hours at a Time" with special guest Charlie Daniels from 1975.  Could be a whole 24-hour shift tomorrow!