There are eight weeks left in the session.

But if you want to pass your bills, there are only five.

That’s because of the Crossover date, which is three weeks before the end of the session on April 9 at midnight.

If my legislation passes the House of Delegates before that deadline, it will be referred to a standing committee in the Senate.

That committee will then hold a public hearing on my bill. A vote on my bill is not guaranteed, however.

If my legislation misses the Crossover date, it goes to the Rules Committee.

It may or may not escape that purgatory.

Any time it spends in Rules increases the chance that the 90-day session will end before my bill clears all of the legislative hurdles.

In the legislative process, time is your enemy.

There’s a second reason for the Crossover deadline.

Under the Maryland Constitution, if a bill gets to the Governor’s desk with ten days left in the session and he decides to veto it, he must do so while we are in session.

And have an opportunity to override his veto.