In the 1993 movie Groundhog Day, TV weatherman Phil Connors, played by Bill Murray, finds himself reliving the same day over and over again. We may be in for the legislative version of Groundhog Day when lawmakers return to Charleston to work on comprehensive education reform.
Remember that earlier this year during the regular session the state Senate passed SB 451 18-16 with no Democratic votes (and two Republicans voting with the Democrats). The House of Delegates watered down the bill, removed education savings accounts, and passed the bill back to the Senate.
The Senate reinserted ESAs, prompting a two-day long teacher strike. The bill returned to the House where it died.
Now, fast forward to today. Senate Republican leaders have crafted a bill similar to SB 451, although it does not include ESAs. Senate President Mitch Carmichael has called Senators back to Charleston Saturday for what he hopes will be a one-day session to debate and ultimately pass the bill with bipartisan support.
However, Carmichael needs a vote of four-fifths of the members present to suspend the rule requiring a bill to be read on three separate days. He will likely need at least eight Democrats to join Republicans in suspending the rule, and as of today that seems like a long shot.
Without the suspension, the Senate will have to work the bill three separate days—Saturday, Sunday and Monday. It’s risky to predict what will happen, especially during amendment stage, but ultimately Republicans know they have enough votes (they hold a 20-14 majority) to pass the bill.
Then attention turns to the House of Delegates. Speaker Roger Hanshaw has called his members back Monday, June 17, to take up education reform. Delegates will have before them not only the Senate bill—assuming it passes—but also a series of individual bills from Republicans and Democrats.
Then the question becomes two-fold: What can the House pass and, more importantly, what can the House pass that will also pass the Senate? Senate Republicans have made it clear they want school choice to be part of any education package. They agreed to consider ESAs separately, but they desperately want charter schools.
Just like Groundhog Day, the outcome could be the same as the regular session. However, the Legislature often takes curious and unpredictable turns. Events can shift the dynamic. For example, the teacher and service worker unions plan to demonstrate at the Capitol. Their presence, en masse, the last two legislative sessions clearly influenced lawmakers’ decision-making.
Saturday’s session should begin with this realization: Nobody wants to wake up when this is all over having relived the regular session. The lawmakers, just like Phil Conner, have the power to determine a different outcome if they choose.