Tuesday, February 4, marked the first major legislative cutoff of the 2026 session. By this date, most policy bills were required to be voted out of their original committees to remain eligible for further consideration. To advance, a bill must have received a public hearing and a committee vote.
Bills with fiscal impacts face an additional hurdle. Measures that affect state revenues or expenditures must also be approved by a fiscal committee by February 9 to continue moving through the process.
After clearing policy and fiscal committees, bills advance to the Rules Committee, which serves as a gatekeeper before legislation reaches the floor. The House Rules Committee is chaired by the Speaker of the House, while the Senate Rules Committee is led by the Lieutenant Governor. Only bills that are selected and voted out of Rules are eligible for floor action.
Once a bill reaches the floor, leadership controls the timing of debate and votes. In the House, the Speaker determines when bills are brought forward for consideration by its 98 members. In the Senate, that authority rests with the Majority Leader for its 49 members. In practice, bills are generally scheduled for a vote only if leadership believes they have sufficient support to pass.
If approved by the chamber of origin, a bill then moves to the opposite chamber, where it repeats the same committee and floor process. The deadline for bills to pass their chamber of origin is February 17.
The 2026 legislative session is scheduled to adjourn on March 12, the 60th day of the session.
