News-Record.com

Those following S223, which would establish state standards for voting machines, should know that it cleared the Senate Judiciary I committee Thursday morning.

This is the bill referenced in this story. Pretty much everything that folks on either side of the voter-verified paper ballot debate found objectionable is still in there.

It now goes to the Senate Appropriations Committee and then, if it passes there, on to the Senate floor. Then the House would get a shot.

There is some muscle behind getting this thing done. The Judiciary Committee got special dispensation to hear the bill from the Senate leadership, which has shut down committee hearings on anything that don't deal directly with the delayed state budget.

Sen. Daniel Clodfelter was careful to say this was a one-time deal.

"This is not a resumption of a regular committee schedule," he said. So anyone getting their hopes up that this committee meeting was a sign that a budget deal was close, stop holding your breath.