Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House convened with prayer by Reverend Randy Serksina of Ellendale United Methodist Church, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and a quorum call. The clerk then read and the House approved the previous day’s journal, and routine business proceeded, including comparison reports and standing committee reports, all adopted without objection. The chamber moved through bill readings, including second readings of House File 4649 and Senate Files 4318 and 1354, and first readings of House Files 4899 through 4901. No debate on the bills is shown in this portion of the transcript. Majority Leader Winkler announced the DFL caucus would recess and reconvene around noon to take up the conference committee report on the higher education bill, then move to the day’s calendar and other conference reports. He moved a recess to the call of the chair, and the motion prevailed, sending the House into recess.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: Republican leaders gave an update on end-of-session negotiations, saying the tax conference committee was close to finishing and that their top tax priorities were permanent elimination of the Social Security tax, an income tax reduction, and property tax relief. They said they had instructed conference committees to work together, but argued that Democrats were not willing to include law enforcement in public safety talks. Republicans also said they were pushing for more funding for police and accountability for violent criminals, and warned that time was running short to finalize bills before the deadline. They also highlighted a separate crisis involving nursing homes, long-term care providers, and disability service providers, saying many facilities, especially in Greater Minnesota, faced possible permanent closure without additional help. On education, they said literacy and cross-subsidy issues were on the table but not yet agreed to. Leaders repeatedly said they were ready to step in if needed on unresolved issues, especially public safety, and said there would be no special session. Later in the exchange, leaders said the tax deal might be announced soon but that final details were not yet available. They said the proposed income tax cut would have to fit within the overall target and that the full Social Security tax elimination remained a priority. They also reported a conference committee agreement on liquor-related provisions, including raising the growler sales cap from 40,000 to 150,000 barrels and allowing other changes such as cocktail rooms at distilleries and broader resort beer sales. On a conversion therapy vote earlier that day, one senator said he voted yes to keep the discussion going, but the measure did not pass. They also said sports betting discussions were still ongoing and would require agreement among tribes, tracks, and charities.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The meeting focused mainly on two issues: a sports betting bill and an education funding package. On sports betting, the speaker said the Senate Finance Committee had voted to send the bill to general orders for floor debate, with hopes of resolving remaining differences with the House. The biggest sticking point was whether racetracks would be included; the speaker argued that exclusivity for the tribes would not produce a good product and would leave racetracks out of business, while the tribal side was described as having an internal agreement dividing licenses between tribes north and south of Interstate 94. Revenue questions were also discussed, with the speaker saying the bill is not expected to raise large sums for the state and that the current version would split proceeds among mental health, charitable gaming, and an events-promotion organization, rather than the House’s youth sports approach. The speaker also said the bill could move quickly if a deal is reached, possibly requiring a weekend vote and floor action before session end. Questions about support and votes were answered generally, with the speaker noting bipartisan support and opposition and saying he did not know exactly how individual votes were secured. The discussion emphasized that the bill would allow mobile betting through tribal license holders, even at racetracks, because the money would flow through the app and license holder rather than the venue. The second major topic was the E-12 education omnibus, especially literacy and special education. The speaker said there is broad bipartisan agreement on both issues, including support from educators, superintendents, and Education Minnesota. The Senate proposal was described as including about $53 million in one-time literacy funding, along with special education cross-subsidy relief, delivered as a simple, no-mandate, no-strings-attached cash infusion that would not change the funding formula. The speaker said the money would go to districts for three years, with the goal of helping them manage special education costs while keeping the proposal clean and straightforward, and said he would continue talking with the House chair to try to reach a deal.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The update reported that Governor Tim Walz and legislative leaders reached a budget agreement for the state’s $9.2 billion surplus covering the current and next biennium. The framework sets aside $4 billion for tax relief, $1 billion each for health and human services and E-12 education, and $450 million for judiciary and public safety. Additional targets include $846 million for transportation, $100 million for housing, $47.3 million for energy, $46 million for higher education, and $15 million for agriculture. The agreement also includes $50 million for broadband expansion, $60 million for mental health, and $18.4 million for drought relief for farmers and ranchers affected by last summer’s drought. Legislators were reminded they must finish supplemental funding and policy bills by midnight Sunday, May 22, ahead of adjournment on Monday, May 23.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The conference committee worked through a large set of health, human services, and related policy provisions, aiming to finish policy items and then recess for staff and members to resolve remaining technical issues. Members repeatedly emphasized that they wanted to move quickly, rely on nonpartisan staff, and close policy articles for the day, while noting that some fiscal items could still be handled later if needed. They also discussed scheduling a break and returning later in the day to finish unresolved sections, including a few amendments that were not yet available or needed reconciliation. The committee adopted numerous sections across several articles. In health care and licensing provisions, members approved changes to nursing home assessment schedules, radioactive materials definitions, home and community-based services scholarships and loan forgiveness, immigrant medical graduate assistance grants, STEMI data reporting, hospital moratorium exceptions for children’s hospitals, dental clinic imaging definitions, nursing home licensure and ownership rules, home care advisory council changes, palliative care definitions, provider dental enrollment reporting, enteral nutrition rate protections, telephone visits as satisfying face-to-face requirements for certain clinics, and pharmacist scope-of-practice updates. They also adopted ambulance service and emergency medical services temporary requirements, community supports and behavioral health provisions, continuing care for older adults language including ICHRA-related cost reporting and incurred-but-not-paid timing, child and vulnerable adult protection changes including Maya’s Law-related requirements, economic assistance changes including tribal nations’ eligibility for emergency assistance grants, direct care and treatment provisions, homelessness prevention measures, and a race-based organ procurement nondiscrimination provision. Several amendments were described and adopted, including technical or clarifying amendments such as the A-68, A-61, A-71, A-80, A-83, and A-48 amendments, along with staff-recommended Senate language in a number of places. Members also noted when a section needed to be revisited later, especially House Article 8 Section 25 on telehealth and a few other items that lacked the correct amendment text at the time. Most motions were approved by voice vote with little or no opposition, and the committee repeatedly recorded sections as adopted. At the end, the chairs and members agreed to pause after the first batch of agreed-upon items, with the understanding that more work remained and that policy could not be reopened outside the committee process. They discussed returning later in the afternoon or evening, depending on floor schedule, to finish unresolved matters and any remaining policy sections.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The meeting focused on Senate File 1871, a proposal to ban conversion therapy and move the bill from committee to the Senate floor. Senator Scott Dibble introduced the motion, describing conversion therapy as a harmful, discredited practice that causes serious harm to young people and arguing that the legislature had an urgent responsibility to act. Several senators and supporters echoed that view, including testimony from a registered nurse and others who said the practice is damaging, not supported by science, and should be banned to protect children and LGBTQ people. Senators Ann Johnson Stewart, Jim Carlson, and Susan Kent spoke in support, emphasizing that acceptance is not uniform across Minnesota, that the issue remains real in many communities, and that counseling is different from conversion therapy. They also noted that some majority-party members had supported the effort and that the issue should not be dismissed as already solved. Dibble said the bill would not restrict legitimate counseling or religious freedom, and cited research indicating conversion therapy is still offered in Minnesota by licensed clinical sites. The discussion also covered legislative strategy and prior votes. Dibble said the motion received 34 votes, enough to pass if it were a bill, but not enough to meet the 41 votes needed for the procedural motion to bring it to the floor. He said the bill had passed the House in prior sessions and had been blocked in the Senate in previous biennia. No final action on the bill itself was taken in this exchange, and the meeting ended with the motion still short of the votes needed to advance.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House took up Senate amendments to House File 3438, the legacy bill, and Representative Lilly explained that the bill largely carried forward Lessard-Sams outdoor heritage projects, along with clean water provisions, project extensions related to COVID delays, and other legacy funding items. Lilly said the clean water changes would move proposal timing until after the budget forecast and add a second-year process to consider surplus or sales tax bottom-line figures. He also noted that roughly $159 million in projects were included statewide, but said the Senate declined to spend additional bottom-line funds on arts and culture, parks and trails, and clean water projects, including a lead-related water project. During debate, one member praised staff but criticized the bill’s vetting process and the continued purchase of land and easements, arguing the legislature should focus more on habitat enhancements and maintenance rather than acquiring more acreage. That member said the bill purchased over 8,000 acres and more than 18,000 acres of easements, and announced a no vote. Lilly responded that the bill was a compromise in a divided legislature, highlighted library, parks, trails, and swimming lessons funding, and thanked committee members and staff for their work. The House then voted to concur in the Senate amendments and repassed the bill as amended. On the roll call, the motion passed 89-40. The House also announced a conference committee for House File 3765, adopted non-controversial motions, and adjourned until 11 a.m. on Friday, May 20, 2022.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee Chair Warren Limmer used the meeting to press for a complete House DFL public safety offer in ongoing conference committee negotiations, saying the Senate was still waiting for a global spreadsheet and balanced proposal. He argued that recent violent incidents, including a Capitol-area carjacking and a separate stolen-truck crash involving one of his constituents, showed the urgency of funding law enforcement, courts, prosecutors, fire, and EMTs. Limmer said the House should not delay public safety talks and criticized any effort to separate issues one by one instead of presenting the full budget picture. The discussion focused heavily on the gap between the Senate and House DFL positions. Limmer said the House had floated a trade of tougher fentanyl penalties for marijuana decriminalization, but he would not negotiate further until all House positions were on the table. He also objected to proposals that would send money to community-based public safety efforts through nonprofits, warning about taxpayer risk and citing concerns about nonprofit oversight and the Legislative Auditor’s review of nonprofit spending. He reiterated that law enforcement needs more resources and that criminals should face strong punishment. In response to questions, Limmer said the conference committee still had time but that a final bill likely needed to be completed by Friday, with Saturday becoming too tight for reviser work and distribution. He said leadership was beginning to monitor the talks and that a two-track process was underway, with conferees negotiating while keeping leaders informed. No votes were taken and no agreement was announced; the meeting ended with negotiations still unresolved.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The conference committee met on Senate File 3008 and reviewed the proposed conference report, which covers a broad package of alcohol-related provisions. Staff walked through changes affecting distilled spirits manufacturers and cocktail rooms, malt liquor and beer definitions, microdistillery and small brewer off-sale provisions, growler limits, cideries, open wholesaling, municipal and county licensing authority, temporary county fair licenses, exclusive liquor store sales, World Cup on-sale hours, and an appropriation for the Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division. The committee also noted that direct ship wine provisions were removed from the conference report, and Article Two was reorganized to contain special local liquor laws. Several provisions were highlighted as changed or newly added. The report removes the earlier allowance for 1.125-liter distilled spirits bottles and instead authorizes rulemaking to enforce the remaining 750-milliliter bottle limit. It increases the growler cap to 250,000 barrels annually and includes reporting and rulemaking language for expanded off-sale provisions. For cideries, new language requires an affidavit describing efforts to secure a wholesaler before certifying that no wholesaler is available. The Anoka social district section was expanded to require a report to legislative leaders within 24 months of the first license, covering community response, public safety, operational issues, and recommendations for changes. The World Cup on-sale hours provision was made temporary, expiring September 1, 2023. After a brief question about whether the appropriation for the Alcohol and Gambling Enforcement Division would continue into fiscal years 2024 and 2025, staff said the drafted language already provided for an ongoing appropriation. The committee then adopted the amendment CCR SF 3008 and, after discussion, adopted the conference committee report on Senate File 3008 as amended by roll call, with five ayes and zero nays in both the House and Senate delegations. Staff was instructed to prepare the report for electronic signatures and the committee adjourned.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: House File 3394 was a bipartisan resolution memorializing Congress to name the South Saint Paul post office in honor of Officer Leo Pavlak. Representative Hanson presented the measure, explaining that Pavlak was ambushed and killed in the line of duty in August 1933 by the Barker-Karpis gang, and that the post office is near the site of the killing. A letter from the Pavlak family supported the resolution, describing the naming as a fitting memorial and noting the family’s long tradition of law enforcement service. Representative Frankie also spoke in support, thanking Hanson and emphasizing the sacrifice made by Pavlak and his family. No amendments were offered. After discussion, the House took a roll call vote and passed the resolution with 130 ayes and 0 nays, agreeing to its title.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The Environment and Natural Resources Conference Committee met remotely on May 19, 2022, but the meeting was brief because a quorum was not present. Members and senators were called by roll, with several members present and others delayed logging on. The chair explained that the House held the gavel for the day and that the committee was operating under Rule 10.01 for remote hearings and live streaming requirements. No bill language or formal conference committee action was taken. Instead, members described ongoing negotiations and said they had been trading offers into the evening and making good progress toward a resolution. The chair and Senator Ingebrigtsen both thanked staff for working late under end-of-session deadlines and noted that staff had been doing a good job on the negotiations. Because the committee lacked a quorum and had nothing finalized, the chair announced a recess and said the committee would give a half-hour notice before reconvening. The meeting ended without votes or substantive decisions.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The Higher Education Conference Committee met on May 19, 2022, to review and vote on the conference committee agreement for House File 3872. Staff walked through the fiscal spreadsheet and described the agreement’s overall spending changes: increases for the Office of Higher Education, Minnesota State, and the University of Minnesota, with major items including student parent support, tribal college operating support, state grant adjustments, underrepresented student teacher grants, hunger-free campus expansion, inclusive higher education grants, Learn to Earn funding, CNA training, workforce development scholarships, allied health funding, NRRI support, and Promise scholarships. The committee also reviewed Article 2 policy provisions, including hunger-free campus eligibility for private nonprofit institutions, affirmative consent requirements and training, the Inclusive Higher Education pilot, state grant and data-reporting changes, the Student Parent Support Initiative, private career school exemptions, concurrent enrollment grants, Board of Trustees appointment considerations, developmental course placement rules, expanded workforce development scholarship fields, permanent university fund changes, mining-related scholarship changes, regent selection changes, the Learn to Earn report requirement, the Allied Health Technician Scholarship Program, and a request for the Board of Regents to allow compensated employees to serve as regents. Articles 3 and 4 would expand the Higher Education Facilities Authority to finance nonprofit health organizations and higher education institutions, rename the authority, and make conforming changes; the committee noted a new requirement for city permission before financing health organizations in cities over 100,000 population. Members spent considerable time discussing the Regent Candidate Advisory Council changes, especially the student member provisions and whether designees should be required to be students. Staff explained that student body presidents are elected annually and that designees could provide continuity. Members also raised a concern about the facilities authority language and whether it might affect cities of the first class such as Duluth; staff said the language was intended to address Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Rochester. The committee then adopted the A13 amendment, which gives the Office of Higher Education temporary authority to use the assigned student responsibility parameter to adjust state grants in response to Pell Grant changes, and adopted the A16 amendment, which moved the $800,000 allied health funding into the workforce development scholarship structure with specific eligible categories.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The meeting was a lengthy conference committee session on a broad health and human services package, with members and nonpartisan staff working through many articles and amendments. Topics included Department of Health finance and policy, health-related licensing boards, prescription drugs, community supports and behavioral health, child and vulnerable adult protection, licensing operations, and miscellaneous provisions such as cannabis-related language and homeless youth grants. Members repeatedly noted the complexity of the bill, the need to verify language carefully, and the importance of having all amendments posted and available for review. Several provisions were adopted with little or no opposition, including transferring fetal alcohol spectrum disorder prevention grants to MDH, limiting duplicate fingerprint background checks for already-licensed medical professionals, clarifying medical record copy fees for public assistance recipients and legal aid clients, modifying assisted living and long-term care provisions, and adding or revising telehealth, behavioral health, and licensing language. The committee also adopted or amended sections on hospital moratorium exceptions for certain critical access hospitals, foreign medical graduate J-1 waiver recommendations, guest speakers in substance use disorder programs, county notice requirements for contracted case management complaints, and a homeless youth grant increase from $100,000 to $200,000. There was more discussion and some disagreement on a few items. Members debated a provision allowing temporary permits for out-of-state licensed medical professionals while Minnesota licensure is processed; after a roll call, the amendment was not adopted. There was also concern about a proposed digital intervention pilot for substance use disorder, which was withdrawn before a vote. The committee reconsidered and corrected one earlier child protection-related motion, and several child protection and vulnerable adult items were set aside for later because the language was not yet ready. The committee took multiple voice votes and at least one roll call, generally approving the agreed-upon sections and amendments. By the end, members discussed whether to continue late into the evening or return the next day to finish unresolved policy and fiscal items, with staff noting that some language still needed to be posted and reviewed before final action.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The conference committee met to work through agreed-upon items in the State Government and Elections articles, with roll call showing a quorum present. Members reviewed a state government agreement table covering items such as the state fossil designation (giant beaver), LCC contracting authority, Open Meetings Law-related advisory opinions, renewable energy cost assessment language, standard time in 2030 if Congress has not acted, and public land survey monument reporting. The committee also adopted House disability-related sections 33, 36, and 37, and later adopted A98, which tied together Minnesota Housing Finance Agency reporting language with House sections 55, 64, 65, and 66. Several items were set aside or skipped, including grants to nonprofits, MHFA responsibilities, the amateur sports center study, and some already-adopted or enacted provisions. In the Elections article, the committee accepted a table of agreed language covering campaign finance registration thresholds, access to a membership location during session, absentee ballot envelope terminology, absentee ballot drop box standards, public accuracy testing notice, and Safe at Home participation in the presidential nomination primary. The committee adopted the table, then adopted A71 on absentee ballot outer envelope language, with members noting it would help clarify what is and is not an absentee ballot or request form. They also adopted A78, which changes how election results may be posted at polling places so judges can post results for viewing and voters may write them down or photograph them for personal use, rather than requiring copies for everyone who asks. Senator Dibble moved additional House language to establish a specific Juneteenth date and align the state observance with that holiday, citing its historical significance and no fiscal cost, but the Senate did not agree and the motion was set aside for later consideration. The chair noted that some other items remained outstanding, including newspaper notice language, and said the committee would likely meet again soon, possibly the next day or early the following week. The meeting adjourned after the committee completed the items before it.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House received Senate Files 2952, 4045, and 4318 and referred them to the appropriate committees or for comparison, with no objection. A conference committee report on House File 961, a labor bill, was adopted after Representative Ecklund explained the Senate had removed a couple provisions and the conferees restored one; the House then gave the bill a third reading and later re-passed it as amended by conference by a roll call vote of 126 ayes and 5 nays. The House then took up House File 3775, a Commerce Department technical bill to change franchise business re-registration from 120 days after the fiscal year to the anniversary of initial registration. Representative Davnie said it would simplify reporting and streamline the process for franchisors. With no amendments or further discussion, the bill passed on a roll call vote of 130 ayes and 0 nays. Next, House File 3394, a resolution asking Congress to name the South St. Paul post office in honor of Officer Leo Pavlak, was debated. Representative Hanson described Pavlak’s 1933 death in the line of duty and read support from the Pavlak family; Representative Frankie also spoke in support. The resolution passed unanimously, 130 ayes and 0 nays, and its title was agreed to. The House then recessed to the call of the chair for about 30 minutes.