| |  | Unbeknownst to occupants of the General Assembly Building, an unwelcome guest was amassing force last weekend. As legislators, staff members, and stakeholders filtered back into Richmond for session’s busiest week, the plague became obvious. Caucus meetings, committee hearings, floor sessions, and public spaces were punctuated by loud fits of coughing. An online spectator noted that a meeting sounded like a tuberculosis ward. Caucus was renamed Coughcus. Fully half to three-quarters of the building seemed seized by paroxysms of coughing. Wondering why the afflicted didn’t have the courtesy to remain home and spare their colleagues? A unique facet of the legislative session is the lack of provisions for absentee participation. During the haze of COVID, remote engagement was mandated; however, the rules have returned to normal. There are no valid excuses for absence. Missing a single day means missing dozens to hundreds of votes—and perhaps the opportunity to present your own legislation. Hence, the week witnessed foggy legislators relying on cough drops as the currency of trade. Masks reappeared. Yet the work continued.
Deadlines are fast approaching, and committees met through Friday evening in order to complete work on legislation. If bills pass out of committee, the legislation moves to the House floor for “first reading,” which is a procedural component of the process. On Monday, every single House bill (with the exception of revenue bills) must be on second reading. On second reading, the bills will be explained and amended (if needed). This places every bill in the proper posture to be on the third and final reading on the crossover deadline of Tuesday, February 4. After this date, with few exceptions, the House will only consider Senate bills.
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