Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Finance Committee completed consideration of the omnibus E-12 supplemental finance and policy bill, which was described as a package of five bills centered on literacy. Supporters argued the state has a rare opportunity, given the budget surplus and federal relief funds, to make a major investment in helping children learn to read, saying literacy is the foundational issue that affects all other learning and future job readiness. Several members praised the bill’s focus on scientifically based reading instruction and urged the committee to prioritize reading over other policy debates. Others criticized the bill as not going far enough, saying it addresses some literacy components but misses other important education needs. One speaker argued that the bill’s funding level was too small compared with other education costs, such as special education subsidies, and said schools need more support to improve literacy and overall outcomes. There was also criticism that districts and the department are lowering graduation standards and reducing emphasis on reading accountability instead of raising expectations. The discussion contrasted education priorities with tax cuts, with some members saying the session should focus on children learning to read rather than other fiscal issues. No specific vote tally or final action beyond committee consideration was included in the transcript.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The Capital Investment Committee met remotely on April 19, established quorum, and approved the minutes from April 7 without objection. The committee then heard a series of informational bonding presentations, with amendments noted as reference only. Representative Henson presented a request tied to the Robert Street corridor in West St. Paul, seeking $520,000 to help repay city bonds for state-owned traffic signals installed during the Trunk Highway 952A reconstruction; West St. Paul officials said the city had carried significant debt for a state highway project and that the request would only partially offset the local burden. The committee also heard House File 2565 for nearly $1.1 million for Historic Cook County preservation work, including stabilization and storage needs at five historic sites; testifiers described the historical significance of the sites and said they had already pursued some Legacy and grant funding. Representative Hassan presented House File 4116, with a DE1 amendment for reference, seeking about $7 million for the East Phillips Neighborhood Institute Fund to convert a warehouse into a community-owned hub for indoor farming, small business space, a coffee shop, a bike shop, and affordable housing. Testifiers emphasized the neighborhood’s poverty, pollution, and the goal of creating local ownership and intergenerational wealth; a resident also described personal loss tied to environmental injustice and said the project could improve community health and opportunity. Hassan also presented House File 4514, a $3 million request for the organization Israel to renovate its Lake Street building; supporters said the Somali woman-led nonprofit provides rent assistance, food, health, legal, mental health, youth, and leadership services statewide, and that renovations would improve privacy and program delivery. The committee next heard House File 4589, a request to improve the Lost 40 Studios film facility in Chisholm. Supporters said the Iron Range film industry is already generating jobs, local spending, and tourism, but that the current studio space limits further growth; they argued the project would help build a sustainable film presence in northern Minnesota. Finally, House File 4484 sought funding for the Duluth Air National Guard Base to remove old aircraft shelters and build new universal shelters for the 148th Fighter Wing. Testimony highlighted the wing’s federal and state missions, its economic impact on Duluth, and local support, including a unanimous Duluth City Council resolution. No votes were taken on the substantive bills during the hearing.

Keywords: 1183, house

Keywords: 1183, house

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House first took up a Senate message on House File 42, a public safety bill updating definitions of labor trafficking. Representative Feist explained that the Senate amendments tightened and updated definitions and said the bill would better protect victims and strengthen penalties. The House concurred in the Senate amendments, then passed the bill on a roll call vote of 128-0, with the title agreed to. The chamber also received Senate File 10 on labor and industry and referred it to the Chief Clerk for comparison with House File 10. On the calendar, House File 2105, the 2023 lands bill, was described as adding about $571,000 to the land acquisition account, adjusting state park and forest boundaries, addressing DNR land and utility easements, authorizing certain tax-forfeited land sales, and making two corrections to the prior lands bill. Members from both parties spoke in support, and it passed 128-0. House File 2324 provided a $1 million deficiency payment to repair the failing state drill core library in Hibbing, which members described as an important scientific, historical, and mineral-resource asset. Supporters emphasized the need to keep the facility safe and accessible, and the bill passed 129-0. The House then considered House File 2310, the large environment, natural resources, climate, and energy budget bill. Representative Hanson framed it as a major problem-solving package funding DNR, MPCA, BWSR, the Zoo, Conservation Corps, Science Museum, and Met Council water and parks, with major investments to address emerald ash borer, chronic wasting disease, aquatic invasive species, PFAS, pollinators, and other issues. Representative Acomb highlighted climate and energy provisions including EVs, school buses, weatherization, heat pumps, a climate finance authority, and solar expansion. The House adopted the A50 amendment by a roll call vote of 109-14 after debate over removing the MPCA citizens board, narrowing feedlot and odor provisions, and limiting some cumulative impacts and air toxics provisions to the metro area. The A48 amendment, offered by Representative Becker-Finn, was also discussed; it would double restitution for malicious harm to wild game after an incident involving deer in Ely. The transcript cuts off during further discussion of the A48 amendment, before a final vote on that amendment or on House File 2310 is shown.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House convened, opened with reflection and the Pledge of Allegiance, and then completed a quorum call. A quorum was declared present, and the Journal of the previous day was approved as corrected without objection. The House also adopted the reports of standing committees and divisions without objection. The chamber then received first readings for House Files 4784 through 4791. A Senate message announced that the Senate had agreed to a House request for a conference committee on House File 3420, the drought relief bill, and named Senators Westrom, Weber, Lang, James, and Eakin to the committee. Non-controversial motions and resolutions were taken up and prevailed without objection. Majority Leader Winkler moved to set the next meeting for 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 19, 2022, and then moved that the House adjourn. Both motions passed, and the House adjourned until 11 a.m. on April 19, 2022.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee met on April 8 and first approved the April 7 minutes. The committee then took up House File 4579, the human services omnibus bill, using DE amendment A22-415 as the vehicle, and the chair noted a noon hard stop and asked testifiers to keep remarks brief. A member attempted to move to divide the A5 amendment, but the chair deferred that motion until after public testimony. Public testimony largely focused on support for the bill’s workforce, disability, housing, and benefits provisions. SEIU’s Heidi Eckman described severe nursing home staffing shortages and urged stronger worker voice, higher PCA rates, and the nursing home workforce standards board. Hennepin County Commissioner Angela Conley and Simpson Housing Services’ Steve Horsfield supported funding for homelessness response, Avivo Village, and the Simpson shelter project. Legal Aid’s Varn Holden, the Autism Society’s Jillian Nelson, The Arc Minnesota’s Julia Burkstaller, and PCA provider representatives praised provisions such as PCA rate increases, expanded PCA flexibility, shared services, appeal rights, the Disability Services Accessibility Task Force, housing support changes, and benefit alignments and increases. Several testifiers also raised concerns about reimbursement and service gaps. Accessible Space Incorporated’s Lorianne Granados said customized living providers serving CADI and brain injury clients were excluded from recent waiver increases and asked to be included in the bill. Stacy Hennan of MACSSA supported child welfare, opioid response, shelter, and modernization investments, while also asking for county and tribal involvement in system redesign. Long-term care representatives Aaron Hupert and Toby Pearson opposed the nursing home workforce standards board in Article 5, arguing the sector faces severe staffing, occupancy, and cash-flow problems and needs permanent funding solutions rather than a new commission; they did, however, note some positive provisions such as elderly waiver phase-in and virtual day language. No final vote on the bill was taken in the portion provided.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee took up the Human Services Finance and Policy omnibus DE and first debated an A5 amendment offered by the chair. Representative Albright moved to divide the amendment, initially trying to separate and vote together on two DWRS-related sections, then narrowing the request to one section. Nonpartisan staff explained the DWRS language was tied to the disability waiver rate system and that the chair could allow a division only if the pieces clearly stood on their own. Several members objected to combining sections from different parts of the bill, and the chair ruled the division out of order, saying she did not want to set a precedent for combining separated sections. Members then discussed the broader policy context, including DWRS costs, the need for higher HHS funding, and the role of the Senate budget target. The committee voted on the full A5 amendment, which passed 16-11 and was adopted to the DE. The committee then turned to Representative Kiel’s A4 amendment, which aimed to address long-term care staffing shortages and nursing facility reimbursement. Kiel argued that nursing homes were under severe strain, citing multiple closures, thousands of vacant positions, and rural communities at risk of losing facilities. The amendment would increase wage costs in the facility-specific cost-based rate, support staffing in areas like dietary, laundry, housekeeping, and plant operations, and adjust rate timing to better reflect current costs. In response, the chair and other members noted prior state and federal investments in nursing facilities, including emergency Medicaid funding, ARPA grants, interim rate increases, and other long-term care funding already in the omnibus bill. They also emphasized the budget constraints and argued that more revenue would be needed to meet all needs. After discussion, members continued to frame the bill as a work in progress and stressed ongoing support for older adults, people with disabilities, and long-term care workers. Representative Albright and others urged a no vote on the A4 amendment, while supporters said the amendment was necessary to help facilities and workers. The transcript ends during the extended debate over the A4 amendment, with no final vote on that amendment shown in the excerpt.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The program focused first on a bipartisan package of bills from Sen. Zach Duckworth to make temporary pandemic-era pharmacy authorities permanent. He said the expanded role of pharmacists during COVID-19 improved access, especially in rural areas, and argued that losing those powers would reduce access to vaccines, immunizations, tests, and other care. The three bills would allow pharmacists and supervised staff to administer certain drugs and immunizations, order and perform lab tests and vaccines, and require insurers to reimburse pharmacists at the same rate as other providers. Duckworth said the measures are intended to help keep local pharmacies open and to preserve convenient care, while acknowledging concerns about medical history and record-sharing and saying privacy-respecting solutions should be explored. He said the package is bipartisan and bicameral, and expressed hope that at least two of the bills could become law this session. The Senate Tax Committee also advanced the omnibus tax bill. The bill would conform state law to several federal provisions, cut the state’s first-tier income tax rate by nearly half, and eliminate taxes on Social Security income for 2023. Supporters framed it as tax relief and a response to Minnesota’s high tax burden, while critics argued the bill would mainly benefit higher-income taxpayers and that the state has already spent significant surplus dollars on prior measures. No vote tally was given in the transcript, but the committee action was to advance the bill. The program also contrasted two approaches to paid family leave. Sen. Julia Coleman described a Republican proposal that would let private insurers sell customizable paid family leave products to employers, with tax credits for small businesses with 50 or fewer employees, and said it would help small firms compete for workers without creating a state mandate. Sen. Susan Kent described the DFL approach as a statewide paid family leave program funded through payroll contributions, with wage replacement on a sliding scale, coverage for part-time and self-employed workers, and up to 12 weeks of leave for qualifying events such as a new child or caring for a seriously ill family member. Kent said her bill had not yet had a hearing, and Coleman said her proposal was designed to be flexible and market-based.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The discussion focused on Sen. Julia Coleman’s proposal to expand paid family leave in Minnesota through a private-market model rather than a state-run program. Coleman said the idea is to let private insurance companies offer paid family leave products to businesses, with each employer able to customize the benefit, including wage replacement levels, duration, and whether costs are shared with employees. She framed the approach as a free-market solution intended to increase access without imposing a statewide mandate. Coleman said the proposal is aimed especially at small businesses, which she argued need help competing with larger employers that already offer generous leave benefits. Under her plan, businesses with 50 or fewer employees could receive tax credits of up to $3,000 per covered employee to help offset the cost. She said the benefit would fill a gap in Minnesota law because medical leave is already covered through short- and long-term disability, but paid family leave for bonding with a new child or caring for a parent is not. The interview also addressed coverage for self-employed, part-time, and multi-job workers. Coleman said the proposal is written broadly enough that some of those workers could be covered, and she pointed to a separate tax credit idea being considered by her caucus. In comparing her proposal with the DFL’s state-managed paid family and medical leave plan, Coleman argued that private-market programs are working well in other states and said employers are asking for access to benefits rather than fines or mandates. No vote or formal committee action was taken in the interview.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: Senator Zach Duckworth discussed a bipartisan, bicameral package of bills aimed at making temporary pandemic-era pharmacy authorities permanent. He said the expanded role of pharmacists during COVID-19 showed the value of local pharmacies, especially in rural Minnesota where access to clinics and hospitals can be limited. He argued that keeping these services would improve convenience and access to routine care, vaccines, and basic testing. The first bill, Senate File 2678, would allow pharmacists, interns, and supervised staff to administer drugs by intramuscular and subcutaneous routes, including immunizations, shots, tests, and some medical devices. The second, Senate File 3940, would let pharmacists order and perform lab tests and administer vaccines, which Duckworth said could help families get quicker answers for issues like strep throat or other common illnesses. He acknowledged concerns about medical history and record-sharing, but said those issues could be addressed through better coordination and privacy-protected record systems. The third bill, Senate File 3823, would require pharmacists to be reimbursed at the same rate as other providers for the services they deliver. Duckworth said payment parity is important because many pharmacies are closing and, in some communities, they are the only nearby source of care. He said he was hopeful at least two of the bills would become law this session, while the compensation measure may need more work.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: House committees were working to finish omnibus bills ahead of the April 8 deadline. The House education omnibus, House File 4300, advanced along party lines and would add nearly $1.2 billion in education funding in fiscal year 2023. DFL supporters said the plan responds to input from parents, teachers, students, administrators, and school board members, while House Republicans criticized it for lacking accountability measures and special education reform. The House taxes committee also approved its omnibus bill, House File 3669, which would provide $1.65 billion in tax reductions and credits in the 2022-23 biennium. Chair Paul Marquart said the bill targets assistance for young families, workers, and seniors, including an expanded renter’s credit, a $325 per child income tax rebate for certain families, and a higher student loan tax credit. Republicans objected that the package was not balanced or broadly bipartisan. Before the Easter-Passover break, the House passed a separate $1 million appropriation for the Agriculture Department to respond to the avian influenza outbreak. Sponsor Ginny Klevorn and Representative John Burkel emphasized the urgency of acting quickly, citing the impact on commercial poultry, backyard flocks, and game farms. The measure passed 129-1 and was sent to Governor Tim Walz.

Keywords: 1183, house