Good Monday morning, early birds! Lawmakers return to the Capitol today & will meet in special session & regular session. Are you ready to see some things you have never seen before?

The special session begins at 8 am. Lawmakers will consider affirming Gov. Kevin Stitt's declaration of a health emergency under the Catastrophic Health Emergency Powers Act. It is the first time the act, which was passed in 2003, has ever been invoked.

It's activation gives Stitt & Commissioner of Health Gary Cox, the designated health authority under the declaration, additional powers to deal with, in this case, COVID-19.

Stitt, for example, will be able to suspend some statutes and rules that impede efforts to stop the virus' spread. HCR1001X requires that he inform the Legislature when he does so.

Lawmakers will address the FY20 revenue shortfall in regular session. The plan calls for moving just over $300 million from the Rainy Day Fund to the General Revenue Fund. Another $206 million will be taken from the Rainy Day Fund and placed in the Revenue Stabilization Fund.

And this is where it gets kind of interesting. Office of Management and Enterprise Services Director Steven Harpe will be authorized to make allocations to state agencies from the Revenue Stabilization Fund...

if the actual revenue failure exceeds the amount moved from Rainy Day to General Revenue. Stitt said Friday the Board of Equalization will be asked to consider declaring a $416 million revenue failure when it meets today.

The scheduled meetings of the House & Senate Joint Committees on Appropriations and Budget (JCAB) are expected to be cancelled since the bills will be able to be heard only on the floor as the chambers suspend certain rules.

The House & the Senate will be operating under special protocols for today's sessions. Members, staff & the media will have their temperatures taken when they enter the building. Those with a reading of 100.4 F or higher will not be permitted to enter.

Floor procedures will follow social distancing recommendations for distance and number of people. Members in both chambers will vote in waves so no more than 10 people are on the floor at a time.

“You can probably tell this is going to be a slow process,” House Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols told reporters in a videoconference Friday.

Why is this happening now? The Catastrophic Health Emergency Powers Act requires lawmakers hold a special session to affirm or terminate a governor's health emergency declaration at 8 am on the second business day after a health emergency is declared. That is today.

Lawmakers know they also have to deal with the anticipated revenue shortfall, so rather than bringing everyone back to the Capitol for a second time, they will also address that today.

The question remains when the Legislature will return to complete the 2020 regular session. That includes the FY21 budget, which probably will be less than the current fiscal year's & lower than expected as the economic impact of the current situation continues.

That means today is probably just the first of what may be several very interesting legislative days.