Bill filing began Monday. Perry has filed 18 bills so far, and Tepper has filed 11. Perry predicts "the lowest bill passage rate that I've been [part of]."
Democrats already filed headline-grabbing bills to legalize marijuana and roll back the state's abortion restrictions. Perry noted those bills show up every session. He and Tepper say they're putting their energy into bipartisan priorities instead.
Tepper is working on water projects across the region, legislation on policies and procedures for pennies, and a fix for postmarks. He says the Postal Service is not really doing postmarks anymore, which affects property tax bills and the mailing dates on absentee and mail-in ballots. A bill about stray dogs has him teaming up with Democrats.
Perry is focused on infrastructure and water, along with education and workforce development. "If you get infrastructure right, then economies can flourish," he said.
For people here, the list touches everyday things: water supply, tax bills, mail-in ballots and jobs. Both lawmakers say they have good working relationships on both sides of the aisle, and they're counting on that.