November 29, 2007

Speaker cancels session

Updated...On Thursday morning, Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez canceled the floor sessions he had scheduled for Dec. 5 and 6 to vote on a health care overhaul. The sessions were planned to occur at the same time the Assembly and Senate Republican caucuses were scheduled to retreat in San Diego.

On Tuesday, Steve Maviglio, a spokesman for Núñez, told Capitol Alert, “The dates are driven by the secretary of state’s deadline for putting a measure on the November 2008 ballot...We don’t have much of a choice. Deadlines are deadlines.”

Assembly GOP leader Mike Villines had asked the speaker to shift the schedule. "I don’t see any obvious reason that we need to keep a floor session (scheduled then),” Villines said.

For now, members and staff are being told to be available to return to the Capitol within 24 hours as session is scheduled at the "call of the speaker."

Update: Maviglio said the Assembly delayed a vote to continue negotiating a compromise. "We’re still negotiating on health care and we needed additional time to draft language and shop it around," he said. "We realize we are pushing the envelope (to still qualify for the ballot). But we’d rather get it done right than fast."

Posted by Shane Goldmacher on November 29, 2007 09:59 AM