Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: Senators Melissa Lopez Franzen, Mary Coonish, Chuck Wigger, and Aaron Murphy criticized a $30 million education bill as too narrow and insufficient to meet school needs. They argued it failed to address major concerns raised by teachers, administrators, parents, and students, including mental health services, larger class sizes, special education funding and cross-subsidy relief, English language learner support, teacher recruitment and retention, and the need to keep more teachers in classrooms. Several speakers said the bill did not match the state’s budget surplus or the scale of the problems facing public schools. The discussion also focused on literacy and early childhood education. Senator Wigger said literacy investments were important but should be paired with stronger reading proficiency training, dyslexia funding, and early childhood opportunities. Aaron Murphy emphasized that literacy funding would not be effective without enough educators and education support professionals, and said his district was already facing a significant funding shortfall tied to an older budget decision. Overall, the speakers described the bill as incomplete or a disappointment and said they expected the differences between the House, Senate Republican majority, and the governor’s proposal to be resolved in conference committee. No votes or final actions were mentioned in the transcript.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House took up Senate File 4410, the health and human services omnibus bill, and heard opening remarks from the committee chairs describing the bill as a broad package aimed at making health care more affordable and accessible, investing in public health, addressing drug prices, strengthening the workforce, and supporting child care and early learning. Members also highlighted major human services investments, including homelessness prevention and shelter capacity, services for older adults and people with disabilities, and supports for children and youth experiencing homelessness or exploitation. Several speakers thanked committee and agency staff and emphasized that the bill reflects work from multiple divisions and bipartisan committee participation. The chamber then considered amendments. The first, A15-1, was presented as a technical and fiscal author’s amendment to correct late changes related to the reinsurance bill’s impact on the health care access fund; it was adopted. Representative Demuth’s A22 amendment, which would have removed the bill’s hospital nurse staffing committee provision while retaining nursing workforce report, loan forgiveness, and mental health grant funding, was debated at length. Supporters of the bill argued the staffing language reflected nurses’ requests and had been revised to include bedside staff and workable enforcement, while opponents said it would impose rigid staffing ratios and reduce hospital flexibility. After a roll call, the amendment failed 63-66. A Rasmussen amendment to reduce the MNSure premium tax from 3.5 percent to 1.5 percent was then debated. The author argued it would lower costs for Minnesotans buying coverage through the exchange, while opponents said it would harm MNSure operations, increase wait times, and undermine coverage gains. The amendment was rejected. The transcript then moved to another Rasmussen amendment, with debate beginning over the exchange’s funding and costs, but the excerpt ends before a final vote on that amendment.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Senate considered House File 4300, an omnibus E-12 education policy and supplemental appropriations bill focused on literacy. Senator Claussen argued the bill was too narrow and did not adequately address broader education needs such as special education and English learner cross-subsidies, inflation in the per-pupil formula, early childhood, mental health, teacher shortages, and district budget deficits. Senator Duckworth responded that the Legislature had already made major education investments and that the bill was intended to build on recent funding while targeting literacy, which she described as critical to student success. Other members echoed support for literacy while also raising concerns about school funding, student attendance, housing stability, and discipline practices affecting learning outcomes. Several amendments were offered and ruled out of order under Rule 7.4 or germaneness rules. Senator Murphy’s A12 amendment to restore inflation to the education budget was ruled out of order because it would put the bill out of balance. Senator Wieger’s A7 amendment, which would have added Governor Walz’s broader education proposals including letters programming and regional centers of excellence, was also ruled out of order. Senator Dietzick’s A6 amendment, aimed at limiting dismissals for K-3 students and addressing suspensions and expulsions, was ruled not germane. Senator Isakson’s A4 amendment to prohibit taking away recess as punishment was likewise ruled not germane. The chair’s ruling on the A6 amendment was challenged and upheld by a roll call vote of 35 ayes to 31 nays. The chair later ruled the A4 amendment out of order as well, and that ruling was also appealed; the transcript shows a roll call vote on the appeal, with the chair’s decision ultimately sustained by 35 ayes to 30 nays. The bill remained focused on literacy-related educator training and support, while broader funding and discipline-related proposals were not adopted in the recorded proceedings.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Senate came to order, established a quorum, and received several House messages. The House returned Senate File 2677 on unemployment insurance after adopting the conference committee report, and returned Senate File 4062 on environment, natural resources, and tourism and Senate File 2673 on public safety, criminal justice, and corrections with House amendments. The Senate voted to not concur with the House amendments to SF 4062 and SF 2673 and appointed conference committees for both bills. The chamber also received House File 3872 and moved through first readings and referrals of House and Senate bills and resolutions. A motion by Senator Wieger to withdraw Senate File 4547 from the Education Finance and Policy Committee and place it on general orders was debated at length. Supporters argued the bill should be part of the broader education discussion, citing the state surplus and the need for more comprehensive public education funding beyond the literacy-focused proposal. Opponents urged a no vote. The roll call on the motion failed, 30 ayes to 34 nays. The Senate then took up House File 4293 as a special order. Senator Kiffmeyer described the bill as a large omnibus measure covering state government policy, finance, elections, and military and veterans affairs, with appropriations for the Secretary of State and Minnesota IT, plus provisions on cosmetology regulation, nonprofit transparency, board and commission updates, horse breeders, gambling control, attorney general staffing, fuel choice, campaign finance, absentee ballots, drop boxes, ballot board observers, live streaming, and voter registration timing. She offered the A-45 amendment and the A-49 amendment to it; both were adopted after debate. Senators Murphy and Dietzick questioned sections dealing with voter registration removal for nonvoters, the timing of voter data entry, and cosmetology language, and Kiffmeyer said the cosmetology provisions came from the OLA report and that the bill’s election changes were intended to improve transparency and security.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: Minnesota leaders held a public event to celebrate a bipartisan agreement on COVID-19-related relief for frontline workers and small businesses, along with action to address the unemployment insurance trust fund deficit. Governor Walz, Lt. Gov. Flanagan, Speaker Hortman, Senate Majority Leader Miller, and others emphasized that the deal was the product of negotiations across party lines in a divided legislature. They said the agreement was intended to recognize workers who kept essential services going during the pandemic and to prevent small businesses from facing higher unemployment insurance taxes. Speakers described the frontline worker payments as delayed bonuses for nurses, grocery workers, child care providers, food processors, cleaners, emergency responders, and other essential workers. Hortman said 667,000 Minnesotans are eligible for checks of up to $750, and Walz and Flanagan said the payments were a meaningful acknowledgment of pandemic sacrifices. Several speakers also noted that the agreement did not include everything they wanted, including the hourly school workers UI issue, which they said they hoped to address later in the session. Flanagan and others said the deal should be seen as a first step and pointed to future work on child care, earned sick and safe time, paid family and medical leave, and other worker supports. Small business owners and frontline workers testified in support of the agreement, saying the pandemic had been difficult for staffing, operations, and safety, and that the relief would help businesses avoid shutdowns and help workers cover basic needs. Commissioner Grove explained that the state would spend about seven to ten days recalculating business tax assessments, with new amounts reflected in accounts and letters sent to roughly 130,000 to 140,000 businesses; refunds, if requested, could take a couple of months. Officials said the worker bonus application portal would open after a vendor builds the system, with a 45-day application period, a 15-day appeal period, and checks expected roughly 10 to 12 weeks later. No formal vote was taken in the transcript; the event concluded with plans to sign the agreement and take questions.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Property Tax Subcommittee met to consider a delete-all amendment for Senate File 3706, with the chair explaining that the committee would take public testimony and markup the bill the following day, with the goal of advancing it to the full tax committee. The committee first voted to take Senate File 3706 off the table, then moved the A1 delete-all amendment and received a detailed walkthrough of the revised bill’s three articles: property taxes, aids and credits, and tax increment financing. Article 1 combined a number of property tax provisions, including limited exemptions for certain airport property and a Minneapolis property owned by an Indian tribe, a 10-year exemption for energy storage systems, an increase in the first-tier valuation limit for agricultural homestead property, changes to class 4d low-income housing rules and rates, a new affordable housing market value exclusion for qualifying new rental housing with local and county approval, changes to class 1c resort property tiers, updates to the disabled veterans homestead exclusion, an increase in homestead market value exclusion thresholds, a cooperative utility distribution-line definition, a phased reduction of the state general levy, changes to delinquent property tax interest, a targeted additional property tax refund expansion, and changes to the senior citizens property tax deferral program. It also included a city of Virginia financing provision for a public safety building. Article 2 created an agricultural riparian buffer credit, added related conforming and statement-of-tax changes, established electric generation transition aid, provided reimbursement for Mille Lacs County taxing jurisdictions for land placed in trust, created class 4d transition aid, and forgave aid penalties for several cities including Roosevelt, Bena, Boy River, Echo, and Morton if reporting requirements were met. Article 3 contained mostly unchanged tax increment financing provisions, including technical changes from the state auditor, a general-law change for economic development districts on multi-level commercial facilities, special legislation for Savage and Shakopee, and a Woodbury TIF extension and Central Park-related spending authority. A fiscal tracking presentation estimated the bill would reduce general fund revenue by $22.6 million over the forecast period and increase general fund spending by about $4 million for the targeted refund, with other aid and credit changes producing a net general fund reduction of about $33.5 million across the budget window. The presenter noted a spreadsheet correction was needed for one line item because a payable date had been moved, and the chair said the committee would revisit the bill and amendments the next day. During discussion, the chair emphasized the bill’s focus on property tax relief, the state general levy, buffer credits, 4D housing, and affordable housing, and Senator Klein praised it as balanced and responsive to rising property valuations.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The week in the Minnesota House was dominated by Governor Tim Walz’s fourth State of the State address and several floor sessions. Walz delivered the speech in the House chamber for the first time since 2019, emphasizing unity, shared responsibility, and the need to keep working on difficult issues despite political division. On the House floor, the omnibus supplemental education finance and policy bill passed 69-61. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jim Davnie, would provide an additional $1.15 billion for education in fiscal year 2023. Supporters said Minnesota has the resources and should invest them in students and schools, while Republicans objected that the measure contains too many mandates and gives too much decision-making power to bureaucrats rather than parents. House and Senate leaders also announced a deal on frontline worker pay and unemployment insurance. The agreement would use $2.7 billion to fully replenish the unemployment insurance trust fund and avoid tax increases on Minnesota businesses, while doubling the frontline worker bonus pool from $250 million to $500 million. Leaders said the change would restore the UI fund to pre-COVID levels and expand payments to frontline workers.

Keywords: 1183, house

Keywords: 1183, house

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House took up a Senate message announcing concurrence in the conference committee report on Senate File 2677, an unemployment insurance bill, and then suspended Joint Rule 2.06 to waive the 12-hour waiting period for conference reports. After that procedural motion prevailed, the House adopted the conference committee report and ordered the bill to third reading as amended by conference. Members then explained the bill as a bipartisan compromise centered on replenishing the unemployment insurance trust fund and avoiding higher employer taxes. Supporters said the agreement would restore the UI account, include $500 million for frontline worker payments, and provide $190 million for ongoing COVID response, with strict limits and legislative oversight on how the governor could spend that money. Several speakers emphasized that the bill was intended to protect both workers and employers, and that it would prevent additional assessments, interest, and a federal tax credit reduction. Some members criticized the bill as uneven because it did not include hourly school workers in the UI-related provisions and argued that the Legislature should continue working on that issue later in session. There was also a brief exchange about how employer assessments would be handled, including clarification that employers who had not yet paid would have penalties and interest waived, while those who had already paid would receive a credit or refund after DEED recalculations. The bill’s spending authority and reversion date were also discussed, with members noting that unused funds would revert to the general fund after the stated availability period.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: Senate Education Committee Chair Roger Chamberlain discussed several education-related measures and an ongoing oversight effort. He said the Senate’s supplemental education bill is narrowly focused on literacy, with about $31 million for teacher professional development and grants for LETRS, or science-of-reading, training at no cost to teachers or districts. He argued the state’s reading outcomes have worsened for years, especially in Minneapolis-St. Paul, and said the bill also includes support for regional centers and some relief from mandates. Chamberlain said the bill would suspend the World’s Best Workforce program for six years, calling it burdensome paperwork that has not improved results. He said the goal is to stabilize schools, reduce mandates, and focus on reading as the key to broader academic and behavioral success. He also responded to criticism that more surplus money should go to schools by saying the state has already provided substantial funding and should prioritize targeted results. He also described a bill aimed at protecting children from social media algorithms, saying it would give parents a cause of action against platforms that intentionally target young users to keep their attention and sell ads and data. Finally, he said the committee’s hearings into alleged fraud in a federal nutrition assistance program overseen by the Minnesota Department of Education are intended to determine what failed inside the department and fix it, with the legislature exercising its oversight role. No votes or formal actions were mentioned in the interview.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Senate took up the conference committee report on Senate File 2677, a major unemployment insurance and COVID-related relief bill. Before debate, Senator Miller moved to suspend the 12-hour rule so the report could be considered, and the motion passed 64-1. The chamber then adopted the conference committee report and gave the bill its third reading. Members described the bill as using remaining ARPA funds and general fund dollars to replenish the unemployment insurance trust fund, repay federal UI debt and interest, and reset employer payroll tax assessments to pre-pandemic levels. The agreement also included $500 million for frontline worker payments, up from the earlier $250 million proposal, and $190 million for ongoing COVID management such as testing, vaccination, and outbreak response. Several senators praised the bipartisan work of conferees and staff and said the bill would help both businesses and workers. There was also notable criticism and concern. Senator Pappas argued the bill was out of balance because it devoted far more money to businesses than to workers. Senator Coonish and others said school-related hourly and seasonal employees were left out and should be included in future legislation. Senator Kent criticized the process, saying the deal was announced late and negotiated without enough time or communication, and objected to changes in the oversight structure for the $190 million COVID response funds. Despite those concerns, the bill advanced with broad support.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The program focused first on Senate education proposals. Education Chair Roger Chamberlain said the Senate’s supplemental education bill is narrowly targeted at literacy, including about $31 million for LETRS teacher training at no cost to teachers or districts, plus support for regional centers and some relief from mandates. He argued reading proficiency has declined statewide, that literacy underpins other learning and school climate, and that the bill would suspend the World’s Best Workforce reporting program for six years to reduce paperwork and give schools time to stabilize. He also described a separate proposal to let parents sue social media companies that use algorithms targeting young people, saying the bill is meant to curb intentional harm to children. Chamberlain also said his committee is holding hearings into alleged fraud in a federal nutrition assistance program overseen by the Minnesota Department of Education, with the goal of identifying what failed and fixing it. Senator Chuck Wiger, the Senate Education Committee’s ranking DFL member, agreed that LETRS training is important and said he supports additional teacher-training money. But he opposed suspending World’s Best Workforce, calling it an important accountability tool for third-grade reading, kindergarten readiness, achievement gaps, and graduation rates. Wiger said the House’s education proposal would invest about $1.15 billion in student mental health, counselors, social workers, special education, and English learner services, arguing those needs are critical to improving literacy and addressing staff burnout. He also said the state should increase the education funding formula and continue targeted support because districts are facing cuts. The Senate also debated a clean-energy amendment to the omnibus jobs, energy, and commerce bill that would have set a 100% clean energy goal by 2040. Supporters said Minnesota should set an ambitious target and allow an off-ramp if costs or environmental impacts become unsustainable; opponents said the state is already moving aggressively and should not move faster than the clean electrical system can be built. The amendment was not adopted. On the omnibus agriculture, housing, and broadband bill, senators debated a provision that would nullify Saint Paul and Minneapolis rent control measures approved by voters last November. Opponents called it an attempt to overturn a lawful election and said rent control violates property rights; supporters said rent control has reduced housing construction and worsened the housing shortage. The amendment to remove the provision failed on a 33-34 vote, and the amendment was not adopted.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House took up House File 3872, the second engrossment of the higher education supplemental budget. Representative Bernardy, the bill’s author, presented it as a student-centered package investing more than $100 million in higher education affordability, equity, sustainability, campus safety, and student well-being. She thanked committee members and staff, and said the proposal was shaped by student testimony and concerns from across the state. Bernardy highlighted several major provisions: a two-year free college program for low- and middle-income students, expanded state grants affecting nearly 70,000 students, and increased support for student parents. She also described higher loan repayment awards for teachers in shortage areas, added support for Black, Indigenous, and other students of color, and new investments for students with intellectual disabilities, Native American students, and tribal colleges. She cited student stories about mental health, racial disparities, rising costs, and the need for more state support. The bill also includes sustainability and safety measures, such as funding for climate-related improvements at the University of Minnesota, research at the Natural Resources Research Institute, and a long-term clean water plan. It further funds campus safety, mental health, and basic-needs support at Minnesota colleges and universities. No vote or final action was described in the excerpt.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The discussion focused on competing Senate and House approaches to Minnesota E-12 education funding in a non-budget year. Senator Chuck Wiger said he supports the Senate’s proposed $30.7 million investment in LETRS reading training for teachers, including money for regional training centers, and argued it is scientifically based and likely to improve literacy. He also strongly opposed the Senate proposal to suspend the World’s Best Workforce accountability plan for six years, saying the state should keep measuring third-grade reading, kindergarten readiness, achievement gaps, and college/career/graduation readiness rather than pause those benchmarks. Wiger contrasted that with the House proposal for a much larger, roughly $1.15 billion education package aimed at student mental health, more counselors and social workers, special education, and English learner services. He said these areas need more funding because student and staff mental health needs have worsened, teacher burnout and departures are high, and districts are facing cuts as the school funding formula has not kept pace with inflation. He supported a combination of one-time funding and a permanent 2 percent increase in the formula, along with addressing special education and ELL cross-subsidies. In the final portion, Wiger reflected on his legislative career and said he was proud of work on education investments such as full-day kindergarten, Ready for K, and World’s Best Workforce, as well as community engagement and bringing local testimony into the process. No votes or formal actions were taken in the interview.