July 31, 2026
It should have been a mundane week.
Instead, the state Senate took an elections bill that had already passed the state House and transformed it into two bills – one of them full of maddening provisions that, yet again, put obstacles in the path of voters simply seeking to exercise their constitutional rights.
H958, Election Law Changes, was passed by the Senate on partisan lines Tuesday. It includes provisions to:
- Shorten the early voting period for primary elections from 17 to 10 days,
- Revise and prolong the process for unhappy candidates to challenge election results,
- Require the state DMV to provide monthly registration data reports to the state Board of Elections – including your full Social Security number – opening many more opportunities for your sensitive personal information to be leaked or hacked.
The bill now awaits a vote in the state House, which could happen early next week.
Speak up NOW: Tell your state House member to VOTE NO on concurrence with House Bill 958!
Among the more mundane happenings on Jones Street this week, three deserve mention:
- Technical corrections to the state budget passed the Senate. As you’ll recall, the massive spending bill was rolled out and voted on faster than anyone could possibly have read it all. The technical corrections process is most appropriately used to fix errors, but, as this report notes, other changes got into the bill, too. H268, 2026 Budget Technical Corrections - II, goes to the House for consideration next week.
- The state Senate unanimously approved the conference report for S445, Regulatory Reform Act of 2026.
- The Senate passed SJR1091, Adjournment Resolution, which calls for the legislature to adjourn after the close of business in both chambers on Thursday, Aug. 6, and return on:
- Monday, Aug. 31, to Wednesday, Sept. 2
- Monday, Sept. 28, to Wednesday, Sept. 30
- Monday, Oct. 26, to Wednesday, Oct. 28
- Monday, Nov. 16, to Thursday, Nov. 19
- Monday, Nov. 30, to Friday, Dec. 18
We’ll be there!