The 2012 legislative session officially began Monday, January 9.In week one alone, your GA team has already met with the governor’s office, state senators and representatives, as well as several staff members, regarding multiple issues coming down the pike. Some of these issues include Retrospective Rating program tweaks, implementation issues around I-1183, labor costs, packaging, plastic bags and recycling. We expect the Legislature to continue at a frenzied pace for several more weeks. In addition, budget writers for the Senate and House are already hard at work trying to put together a fiscal plan that will garner enough votes to pass and close our budget deficit. Both bodies know they do not have much time to complete the necessary work. If they truly plan on sending a revenue package to the voters in April, they must have it all worked out and voted on by mid-February.