A plan to change how Appeals Court and State Supreme Court judges are determined was updated to include language which would have the Supreme Court vote every two years to determine who among them is the chief justice.
The proposal also removes the most senior supreme court justice from the commission that chooses nominees for openings on the state’s highest court.
Some other policy bills got a few moments of final debate on Saturday. That includes a bill that establishes a new fee for electric vehicle owners. A final budget bill that cleared on Saturday includes two hotly debated proposals. One would bar Medicaid coverage for gender reassignment surgery. The other ends state contracts with Planned Parenthood employees who teach sex ed classes to at-risk teens. Democrats objected to both. Republicans, who hold a majority of seats in both the House and Senate and took final votes sending their entire state budget plan — including these policy matters — to the governor.






