The legislature has adjourned for the year but plans to return to finish work on the budget and a few other items. The conference committee for the budget will meet starting Tuesday, May 24, at 2 p.m. to work out the differences between the two chambers’ versions. Legislation that did not pass must start over when the legislature returns next year.
Before they left Columbia, the House and Senate agreed on how to spend the first tranche of American Rescue Plan Act (ARAP) money. This plan includes $400 million for broadband expansion, $100 million for the Office of Resilience and more than a billion dollars for infrastructure, including roads, bridges, water and sewer. Altogether, this round makes up $1.9 billion of the $2.5 billion the legislature has of ARPA funding.
