Early this afternoon the House of Representatives approved by a vote of 100 to 41 the reappointment of Judge Patricia Swords. The Senate is expected to take up the reappointment later this afternoon.
Swords came under fire Tuesday during her hearing in front of the Judiciary Committee, where she was questioned about her demeanor on the bench. Swords explained that the first review she received as a judge was more than four years into her eight year tenure. She said the reviews by her peers surprised her. Stay tuned for a report from the debate in the Senate.
It’s still unclear if the legislature will pass the controversial bottle bill, which currently allows distributors and wholesalers to keep the nickel deposit from unclaimed beer and soda cans. Lobbyists are crying foul over changes to the plan made during the Nov. 24 special session, which created an escrow account for the unclaimed deposits and neglected to take into consideration the handling fees wholesalers must pay to offset their recycling costs.
We’ll also be following the proposed cuts to the Agricultural Experiment Station, the Clean Energy Fund, and the Citizens Election Fund.