Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee took up House File 4608, the supplemental public safety omnibus bill, and the bill manager described it as a broad public safety package covering law enforcement, corrections, juvenile justice, victim services, emergency management, labor trafficking, substance abuse, and related boards and programs. He emphasized that the bill meets the budget target, relies partly on special revenue fund shifts, and is intended to pair funding with policy, accountability, and innovation rather than simply continuing past approaches. The presentation highlighted a number of appropriations and policy changes, including emergency community safety grants, local innovation, policing, investigation, and responder grants, opiate response funding, body camera grants and centralized storage, use-of-force training, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension capacity, juvenile justice prevention and mental health grants, victim support, and a justice reinvestment initiative that would move county funding to a grant-based formula. The manager also described a public safety innovation board, missing and murdered Black women and girls work, a data management system replacement for corrections, and body armor access for firefighters and EMTs. An amendment labeled A33 was adopted by voice vote. The amendment removed a felony murder provision and replaced it with a continued task force directed to return recommendations next year; the sponsor said concerns included retroactivity and resentencing. Members then raised concerns about several parts of the bill, especially body camera footage-sharing requirements, the use of grants rather than formulas for county probation funding, the shift of juvenile detention costs to counties, and the absence or reduction of some governor-requested items such as domestic violence and sexual assault intervention funding, emergency management funding, and interstate transport reimbursement. The bill manager defended the body camera provisions as a balance between transparency and investigations, and said local governments should decide how to use funds for non-licensed personnel to free up licensed officers for field work.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The Ways and Means Committee resumed discussion of the public safety/corrections omnibus package, with most of the exchange focused on funding for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, local investigative grants, restorative justice, and corrections-related initiatives. Representative O’Neill questioned why the BCA’s $9.7 million request for forensic scientists and related crime-fighting capacity was reduced to $1.5 million, and Superintendent Drew Evans explained that the governor’s request was a three-part package covering forensics, analytics, and a violent crime team. Evans said the reduced amount would likely support roughly 10 to 15 personnel, but exact staffing would depend on equipment and ongoing costs. Chair Mariani argued the state should partner with local governments to build forensic and investigative capacity, especially in areas with rising crime and limited local resources. O’Neill also raised concerns about language allowing local investigative and community innovation grants to support county or local crime labs, saying the bill appeared to fund local labs while underfunding the BCA. Mariani responded that the intent was to give cities, counties, townships, and tribal governments flexibility to choose effective local strategies, including restorative justice and other evidence-based practices. He described restorative justice as a way to help victims and offenders address harm and emphasized that the bill’s grant structure was meant to support a range of local interventions, not only traditional law enforcement. O’Neill additionally criticized the bill for not restoring funding for State Patrol helicopters, bomb squad needs, use-of-force training, and for taking $7 million from MnCORRE, which he said supports inmate job training and revenue generation. After debate, the committee moved to combine House File 4608 and House File 3920 into the Judiciary Finance and Civil Law/Public Safety omnibus as separate articles. Both motions prevailed by voice vote. The committee then took a roll call on the final package, and House File 4608, as amended, was recommended for placement on the general register by an 18-9 vote, with nonpartisan staff directed to make technical corrections and amend the title. The meeting then adjourned.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, roll call, and adoption of committee reports. It then moved through routine business, including second reading of House File 961 and several motions to withdraw bills from committee and place them on General Orders, such as Senate File 4045 on the Rare Disease Advisory Council and Senate File 4521, a DFL public safety package. The motion to move SF 4521 forward was debated at length, with supporters arguing it would provide a broader, prevention-focused public safety approach and opponents saying the bill had not received adequate committee process. The motion to withdraw SF 4521 failed on a 31-36 vote. The chamber then took up Senate File 2673, the Judiciary and Public Safety bill, with Sen. Limmer describing it as a response to violent crime that would support law enforcement, increase penalties for violent and repeat offenders, address car theft, carjacking, organized retail theft, and fleeing police, and increase transparency in sentencing and prosecutorial decisions. Several amendments were adopted, including a technical correction (A86), a PTSD-related benefit amendment for first responders and their families (A27), a protection against retaliation for officers who report or intervene in excessive force incidents (A60), and an amendment increasing sentencing protections for child pornography-related offenses and probation conditions (A603). A proposed amendment to bar certain LGBTQ-related provocation defenses (A85) was debated extensively but failed on a 32-35 vote. Other amendments were offered and discussed but withdrawn, including proposals to create offices or programs addressing missing and murdered Indigenous and Black women and girls, a Healing House project, and the Minnesota Clean Slate Act for automatic expungement of certain nonviolent records. Supporters of those ideas argued they were evidence-based, bipartisan, or important for equity and reentry, while opponents raised concerns about scope, automatic expungement, and committee process. The bill remained under consideration after these amendment votes, with further discussion continuing on the floor.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: This was a State of the State address focused on Minnesota’s recent legislative accomplishments and the governor’s priorities for the remainder of the session. The speaker highlighted record budget reserves, low COVID-19 hospitalization and infection rates, strong employment figures, and recent bipartisan actions including insulin price reductions, increased education funding, the state’s largest jobs bill, and a middle-class tax cut. He argued that the state is strong but still faces unfinished business that requires continued cooperation. A major theme was using the budget surplus to provide immediate relief to Minnesotans, especially through tax relief for middle-class households and those trying to enter the middle class. He also urged action on two pandemic-related commitments: “hero pay” for frontline workers and replenishing the unemployment insurance trust fund, emphasizing the contributions of health care workers and small business owners during the pandemic. He said these measures should be resolved quickly and framed them as fair compromises that would still leave substantial funds available for other priorities. The speech also focused on workforce and caregiving issues, including child care, home health care, and certified nursing assistants. The governor praised personal care assistants and described a state-supported CNA training program that exceeded its goal, calling for continued funding. He also thanked the Minnesota Department of Health, the National Guard, the State Patrol, and conservation officers for their pandemic and emergency response work, including flood support in northwestern Minnesota. Public safety and long-term policy goals were the other major topics. The governor proposed a $300 million public safety investment for local hiring, 911 modernization, equipment, and community-based approaches, while also arguing that crime reduction requires addressing root causes such as housing, inequality, mental health, addiction, and gun violence. He closed by calling for bipartisan problem-solving, saying the legislature should focus on concrete solutions, measurable results, and investments in education and the future workforce.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee met on April 24 with a quorum and took up Senate File 4091, described as a jobs bill. Members first adopted the A44 amendment, which removed the bill’s higher education provisions so they could be considered separately. The chair noted that the higher education language would be heard the next morning along with Senate File 3249, Senator Graham’s mental health bill. The main discussion centered on the A38 amendment offered by Senator Kiffmeyer, which would create a $250 million frontline worker premium pay program. Kiffmeyer described the covered groups as first responders and specified health care workers, with eligibility tied to work performed during the early pandemic period, inability to work remotely, minimum hours worked, limited unemployment receipt, and Minnesota residency. Supporters said the amendment was intended to recognize workers who faced direct, known COVID risk and were essential to keeping health care and society functioning. Critics argued the list was too narrow and excluded many other exposed workers, including child care, grocery, retail, housekeeping, dietary, and other workers who also could not stay home. Senator Lopez Franson offered the A42 amendment to broaden the proposal, adding more worker categories such as child care and other sectors, and increasing the funding to $1 billion. He argued the broader approach better reflected the range of workers who kept the state running and who faced serious risk without the option to stay home. Several members discussed whether the original A38 language was limited to direct patient care and whether hospital workers such as housekeepers, residents, and hospitalists were included. The chair and others emphasized that the committee had authority to change the proposal and that the issue was how broadly to define frontline work. The committee also discussed the origin of the $250 million figure, with members noting it came from prior legislative direction to a working group. A roll call was requested on the A42 amendment, but the transcript ends before the vote result is shown.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: Legislative leaders met to map out the calendar and work plan from now through roughly May 15, including when revisers need bills, when chairs will meet, and how House and Senate proposals will be compared side by side. They said the discussion was productive, that the timeline is tightening, and that conference committee work and final decisions will need to happen on an accelerated schedule, with no special session expected. Leaders also said they would take the latest understanding back to their caucuses and continue working if new offers come in. A major focus was the unemployment insurance trust fund and frontline worker pay. Speakers said those issues remain linked in their view, with the House proposal described as about $2.7 billion for the UI trust fund and $1 billion for frontline workers, while also noting the House had moved about $700 million previously. There was discussion of whether the UI package needs to fully reach the federal debt payoff level or whether some cushion and rate adjustments could be used instead, with one speaker saying they were open to compromise so long as small businesses are protected from higher taxes or penalties. Participants said the UI/frontline worker talks had been stalled since March 28 but appeared to have restarted, with at least a verbal commitment to try to resolve them before the end of the month and the April 30 deadline. They emphasized that businesses have been preparing, that the Senate was expected to respond with a counteroffer, and that both sides were working from the assumption that the issues could still be resolved in time. Overall, the meeting was described as a reset of relationships and a hopeful but still incomplete step toward broader budget negotiations.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee took up House File 3920, the supplemental judiciary finance and civil law omnibus bill, and first adopted two amendments. The A5 amendment was described as a technical clarification to salary language for the judicial branch, and the A7 amendment combined the civil law policy omnibus with the finance bill while removing items that were already included elsewhere or had already become law, including GPS tracking language, a snowmobile penalties bill, and another signed bill. Both amendments were adopted by voice vote. Chair Becker-Finn then presented the bill as amended, emphasizing that the measure combines judiciary finance with civil law policy because of the Senate’s separate committee structure. She said the bill’s main purpose is to strengthen access to justice by increasing ongoing funding for the Board of Public Defense and civil legal services, describing public defense as constitutionally required and underfunded in Minnesota. She also highlighted judicial compensation increases, guardian ad litem funding, one-time judicial branch funding for file storage and salary equity, added resources for the Human Rights Department, a board of appellate counsel for parents, and provisions keeping public court documents freely accessible online. On the policy side, she noted data practices provisions, student data protections, the Uniform Canadian Money Judgments Act, the CROWN Act, pay discrimination protections, closed captioning for people who are blind, racial and ethnic discrimination protections in organ transplants, the Take Pride Act, notary and name-change changes, and forfeiture technical changes. Members generally supported the policy pieces but raised concerns about the bill’s size in a non-budget year. Representative Scott said the bill would have been more appropriate in a budget year and objected to the large spending increase, though he praised the student data protections. The chair responded that the public defender system had never been fully funded and that the surplus created an opportunity to meet constitutional obligations. The committee then laid over House File 3920, as amended, and it was noted that the Senate had also included the $50 million per year public defender funding, making that portion bipartisan.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The Committee on Rules and Legislative Administration met with a quorum present and first approved the minutes from April 21, 2022. Representative McBadger moved approval, there was no discussion, and the motion prevailed by voice vote. The committee then adopted the calendar for the day for April 27, 2022, pursuant to Rules 1.21 and 3.33. The chair moved adoption, there was no discussion, and the motion prevailed by voice vote. No other business was taken up, and the committee adjourned.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House took up Senate File 2677, a bill to replenish Minnesota’s unemployment insurance trust fund. Representative Winkler moved to suspend the rules so the bill could be recalled, read, and brought to final passage, and the House agreed. Representative Palowski explained that the bill would use $2.3 billion from the State Fiscal Recovery Fund, $408 million from federal funds, and $408 million from the general fund to restore the trust fund balance and avoid UI tax increases in 2022 and 2023. Members then adopted Representative Noor’s A-3 amendment, which adjusted the funding mix and added refunds or credits for employers who had already paid higher assessments. The House also adopted Representative Frazier’s A-4 amendment to add frontline worker pay, described as $1,500 checks for eligible essential workers. Republicans argued the bill should remain a clean UI replenishment measure and objected to combining it with other provisions. The most extensive debate centered on Representative Greenman’s A-5 amendment, which would end the exclusion of hourly school workers from unemployment insurance and create a $161.7 million school reimbursement fund. Supporters said it would help bus drivers, paraprofessionals, food service workers, and other low-paid school employees, improve recruitment and retention, and fairly treat seasonal school work. Opponents called it a tax increase, argued it lacked accountability and advisory-council review, and warned that once the one-time fund was exhausted, school districts could levy to cover costs. The amendment drew a roll-call request and continued discussion over costs, levy authority, and eligibility for workers employed by districts, vendors, charter schools, and co-ops.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House took up House File 3438, a Legacy bill covering Outdoor Heritage Fund appropriations for 2023, supplemental appropriations for the clean water, parks and trails, and arts and cultural heritage funds, and several extensions. Representative Lilly described the bill as funding a wide range of vetted conservation, water, parks, and cultural projects across the state, with some reserve spending and matching funds, and noted work on PFAS, lead, and other water-quality issues. Representative Jordan later highlighted the bill’s clean water provisions, including PFAS monitoring, lead service line replacement, and micro- and nanoplastics monitoring, framing the bill as a statewide investment in safe drinking water. Representative Greene offered two amendments. The first would have required applicants for Outdoor Heritage Fund money to submit a cost-benefit analysis; Greene argued taxpayers should know they are getting a return on investment, while Lilly and others said the benefits of conservation projects are often hard to quantify. The second amendment sought to clarify that Outdoor Heritage funds cannot be used in connection with eminent domain, which Greene said was needed to prevent a “shell game” around existing law. Lilly responded that current law already prohibits such use and that the issue involved ongoing litigation, while other members supported Greene’s push for clearer accountability and landowner protections. Both amendments were defeated on roll-call votes. The cost-benefit amendment failed 62-67, and the eminent-domain clarification failed 62-69. After the amendments were disposed of, the bill was given third reading and debate continued on the underlying measure, with members emphasizing both the conservation goals and the accountability of spending legacy funds.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House took up Senate File 2677, a bill to replenish Minnesota’s unemployment insurance trust fund. Members first voted to suspend the rules, declare urgency, and bring the bill before the body; those motions prevailed, and the bill received its second reading. Representative Pawlowski, the House author, said the bill would transfer $2.3 billion from the State Fiscal Recovery Fund and $408 million from the general fund to restore the trust fund balance to about $1.3 billion and avoid UI tax increases in 2022 and 2023. The House then adopted the Noor A3 amendment, which adjusted the funding and tax provisions and was described as ensuring the full State Fiscal Recovery Fund amount was used for UI and that employers who had already paid higher assessments would receive refunds or credits. The Frazier A4 amendment was also adopted; it added frontline worker pay language from House File 2900, providing $1,500 payments to eligible essential workers. Opponents argued the amendment complicated the bill and should not be attached to a UI measure, while supporters said it recognized workers who kept essential services operating during the pandemic. The Greenman A5 amendment, which would extend unemployment insurance eligibility to hourly school workers between school terms and create a $161.7 million school reimbursement fund, generated the most extended debate. Supporters said it would help bus drivers, paraprofessionals, and food service workers who face seasonal gaps and low wages, improve recruitment and retention, and reimburse school districts for the costs. Opponents called it a tax increase, argued it would shift costs to property taxpayers, and questioned whether part-time school workers should receive UI benefits. Members also debated whether the language had gone through the Unemployment Insurance Advisory Council; Representative Noor said the bill and amendment did not need to go through the council and that the language had been before it, while Representative O’Neill disputed that characterization. The amendment was still under discussion at the end of the transcript.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee took up Senate File 4062, the supplemental environmental and natural resources omnibus finance bill, and first handled several procedural motions to substitute the House companion language and adopt the author’s amendment. Those motions prevailed, leaving the House version as the working bill. Chair Hanson then presented the bill as a broad package focused on “righting past wrongs” and funding environmental priorities, including repayment of about $13 million to the Metropolitan Landfill Contingency Action Trust with interest, restoration of the lottery-in-lieu dedication from 72% back to 97% (about $13 million), $30 million for CREP, $10 million for CRP/state incentives, and funding for PFAS restrictions, lead service line replacement, environmental justice, air quality monitoring, and a Pig’s Eye landfill task force. Hanson also highlighted funding for the Conservation Corps, metropolitan parks, the Minnesota Zoo, the Science Museum, Explore Minnesota tourism recovery grants, a Minnesota outdoor recreation office, and a University of Minnesota soil health action plan. Members asked about the bill’s PFAS provisions, with Hanson and others describing Minnesota as a leader and noting the bill’s bans on PFAS in several consumer products and related disclosure and water-quality standards. Representative O’Neill raised concerns about interstate commerce, enforcement, and the cost of implementing the PFAS restrictions, while Hanson responded that other states are also acting on PFAS and that the bill is intended to prevent harmful chemicals from entering people and the environment. The committee also discussed a boating safety provision that would expand training and permitting requirements beyond youth to include adults in a tiered system. DNR Assistant Commissioner Bob Meyer said the program would be similar to existing safety training for ATVs, snowmobiles, and other recreational vehicles, would cost $25, and would be run through a vendor; he said the DNR requested no new appropriation because the agency already has the needed infrastructure. He and Hanson said the initial emphasis would be education rather than penalties, with enforcement phased in over time. Finally, members discussed water-appropriation enforcement changes, including higher administrative and civil penalties; the DNR said the changes were meant to address large-scale misappropriation of water, that no administrative cost was associated with the language, and that any revenue from penalties was too speculative to estimate. No final vote on the bill itself was taken in the portion provided.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee took up the public safety and corrections omnibus package, with discussion focused on how state grant funding would be distributed between local governments, law enforcement, and community-based entities. Representative O’Neill questioned why the bill directs substantial money to local investigative and community innovation grants when the BCA had requested $9.7 million for forensic scientists; Superintendent Drew Evans said the governor’s request was a three-part package covering forensics, criminal intelligence analytics, and a violent crime team, and estimated the committee’s smaller funding level would likely support roughly 10 to 15 personnel, though exact use would depend on equipment and staffing costs. O’Neill also raised concerns about local labs, OJP oversight, body cameras for corrections officers, VOCA backfill, and the diversion of $7 million from MNCOR, arguing the bill underfunds state crime-solving capacity and other priorities such as helicopters, airplanes, bomb squad needs, and use-of-force training. Chair Mariani responded that the bill is intended to support a partnership role for the state rather than make law enforcement solely a state responsibility, and said the local grant language is meant to help counties and other local jurisdictions build capacity where crime is rising and resources are limited. He also defended the restorative justice provisions, describing them as evidence-based practices that can help victims and offenders address harm and promote accountability, and said local governments should be trusted to choose among interventions, prevention, and accountability measures that fit their circumstances. When O’Neill expressed concern that the grant language could send money to non-law-enforcement entities and make tracking outcomes difficult, Mariani and another member said the bill’s structure includes an innovation board and a statistical analysis center at OJP to evaluate effectiveness, and that the language allows but does not require law enforcement involvement. After debate, the committee approved motions to incorporate House File 4608 as amended and House File 3920 as amended into the Judiciary, Civic Law, and Public Safety omnibus as separate articles. The final combined package, House File 4608 as amended, was then recommended for placement on the general register and staff were directed to make technical corrections and amend the title. The roll call passed 18-9, with several members voting no and others voting aye, and the motion prevailed.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee heard a presentation from Dr. Tracy Twine of the University of Minnesota on climate projections for Minnesota through the 21st century. She said observed trends already show the state is getting warmer and wetter, with winter warming especially pronounced, and noted that flooding has become more frequent in several regions. Dr. Twine explained that her team used downscaled climate modeling at roughly 10-kilometer resolution, incorporating multiple global climate models and correcting past model output against observations, to provide more detailed projections for Minnesota’s varied regions and many lakes. Dr. Twine reported that the models project continued winter warming and a new increase in summer warming, with the degree of warming depending on emissions pathways. Under higher emissions, winter temperatures could rise substantially by the end of the century, and summer temperatures could increase by about 7 degrees Fahrenheit; with mitigation, those increases would be smaller. Precipitation is projected to increase in most months, especially spring, with July the main exception, and the state may see more spring precipitation in the north. The presentation also highlighted reduced snow depth and fewer days with snow cover, with the largest decreases in parts of central Minnesota. She emphasized that the findings are consistent with broader global climate models but provide more local detail useful for planning and adaptation. Dr. Twine said the team is working to update the projections with newer global model data, better account for lake effects, and make the information more usable for constituents and decision-makers. She thanked the LCCMR for funding the work and the chair for the opportunity to present.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House opened with prayer by Deacon Nathan E. Allen of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and a roll call that established a quorum. The journal from the previous day was approved as corrected, and reports of standing committees and divisions were adopted without objection. The chamber then moved to the second reading of House File 4300 and the first reading of House File 4826. No debate or testimony on either bill was recorded in this segment. At the end of the session, Majority Leader Winkler moved to recess the House to the call of the chair, with 30 minutes' notice before reconvening. The motion prevailed, and the House recessed.