Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Senate first dealt with procedural matters, including a failed motion to dispense with further roll call proceedings and a successful motion to excuse several senators for a conference committee on Senate File 3472. Senator Pappas then moved to withdraw Senate File 323 from committee, give it a second reading, and place it on General Orders as the ERA ballot initiative, but the motion failed on a roll call vote of 30 ayes and 32 nays. The chamber then took up House File 2819, a natural resources bill increasing penalties for snowmobile operators who knowingly leave marked trails and trespass on private property. Supporters said the bill was requested by snowmobile clubs, the DNR, and local governments, and argued that higher fines would deter trespass and crop damage. The bill passed on final passage by a vote of 54 ayes to 12 nays. The main policy debate centered on House File 3420, the Farmer Emergency Response Bill, which appropriates $10 million for drought relief and related agricultural needs. Members described funding for grants to affected farmers, Rural Finance Authority loan support, veterinary diagnostic lab equipment, and an emergency response account for avian influenza preparedness. An A1 technical amendment was adopted, and the bill advanced with broad bipartisan support and repeated appeals to support farmers, immigrant growers, and the state’s agricultural economy.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House met with prayer and the pledge, then confirmed a quorum, approved the previous day’s journal, and adopted committee reports. The Rules and Legislative Administration Committee also placed several bills on the Calendar for the Day for April 4 and required pre-filing of amendments for specified bills. The chamber then took up several measures on third reading, beginning with House File 3216, which adds a township representative to the Local Road Improvement Program advisory committee; supporters said it would give townships a voice in local road funding decisions, and the bill passed 130-0. The House next considered House File 3217, which protects the privacy of individuals contacting the Minnesota Farm and Rural Helpline and related mental/behavioral health assistance data. An amendment broadened the privacy protection to more rural callers, and the bill passed as amended 131-0. House File 3545, concerning horse racing, expanded uses of the breeders fund to include racehorse adoption, retirement, and repurposing; supporters framed it as supporting equine aftercare and nonprofit repurposing programs, while opponents argued it subsidized wealthy horse owners and was an improper use of the fund. After extended debate, the bill passed 101-30. The House then passed House File 4406, the reviser’s bill, which makes technical corrections and removes obsolete or conflicting statutory language; it passed 129-2. After the floor action, members adopted a House resolution honoring Bill Marks for his long service as chief fiscal analyst and his decades of work with the House Fiscal Analysis Department. The chamber also announced a reception for Marks and a later caucus, and planned to recess before returning for a conference report.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Housing Finance and Policy Committee met on March 31 and took up Senate File 3994, the committee’s policy and finance bill. Senator Rest first moved to reconsider the prior delete-everything amendment, arguing that the governor’s housing proposal was broader and more balanced than the committee substitute and highlighting its funding for community stabilization, supportive housing, down payment assistance, and programs to help renters, families with children, and first-time homebuyers. The chair opposed the motion, saying the bill had to stay within the committee’s target and that some of the programs could be revisited in the next budget year. The motion to reconsider failed on a tied vote. The committee then considered amendments. The A7 amendment, explained by counsel, made technical and policy changes including adding manufactured-home eviction proceedings to a section limiting long-term eviction moratoriums, adding the housing committee to an existing workforce housing report, clarifying a down payment assistance program for manufactured homes, and correcting an effective date. Senator Rest said he had not heard opposition and was willing to keep working on it, and the amendment was adopted. Senator Dietzick then offered an A9 amendment based on the “Bring It Home” bill to expand rental assistance for cost-burdened renters; after describing the need and noting the high fiscal cost, he withdrew the amendment. He also offered an A8 amendment to remove sections on gubernatorial emergency powers and rent control provisions, arguing local voters should decide rent control and that the legislature should have a role in longer eviction moratoriums. The chair opposed the changes, and the amendment failed on a 3-2 vote after a vote correction. After brief closing comments about the need for more housing and continued bipartisan work, the committee voted to pass Senate File 3994 as amended and send it to the Committee on Finance. The bill was approved and the meeting adjourned.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Tax Committee met and laid over several bills for possible inclusion in the omnibus tax bill. Chair Chamberlain also flagged a group of property tax-related bills for later review in Senator Weber’s subcommittee, including measures on county program aid, a tribal property tax exemption, LGA/county program aid adjustments, and a class 1c property provision modification. The committee first heard Senate File 1531, Senator Rood’s bill to increase SCORE recycling grant funding for counties by redirecting more solid waste management tax revenue from the general fund back to recycling and waste reduction purposes. Senator Rood and county officials from Crow Wing and Olmsted Counties testified that counties are carrying most of the cost of recycling and landfill management, that SCORE funding has not kept pace with state mandates, and that more funding would help reduce landfill use and protect public health and the environment. A representative of the National Waste and Recycling Association also supported the bill. Members asked about the history of the tax’s distribution and why part of it goes to the general fund; Senator Rood said the tax was originally fully dedicated but was later diverted during budget deficits, and he proposed restoring the dedication gradually through 2025. The bill was laid over. The committee then heard Senate File 2565, Senator Eakin’s bill to extend the Minnesota income tax subtraction for National Guard compensation to Minnesota residents serving in a neighboring state’s National Guard, such as a Moorhead resident serving in Fargo. Senator Eakin said the change would treat similarly situated Guard members equally and could help attract residents to Minnesota; he estimated a modest fiscal impact. Senator Rest asked about how neighboring states treat similar income and whether there is reciprocity, and Department of Revenue staff said they would follow up with more information. The bill was laid over. Finally, the committee took up Senate File 1228, Senator Weber’s bill to expand the Beginning Farmer Tax Credit. After adopting an A2 amendment and an oral amendment to correct the sunset extension dates, the committee heard testimony from a Farm Bureau young farmers leader, a beginning farmer working on a family farm transition, and an Ag Country Farm Credit Services representative. They supported expanding the credit to family transfers, increasing access for historically underserved farmers, and improving administration of the program, saying the current rules exclude many family farm transitions even though those are common in practice. The bill was amended and laid over for possible inclusion.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Utilities Finance and Policy Committee met on March 31 to hear Senate File 4269, which was turned into a large delete-all amendment combining multiple energy-related provisions. Staff walked through the bill’s contents, including additional funding for Xcel’s Solar Rewards and Solar for Schools programs, changes to reporting deadlines, repeal of the prohibition on new nuclear plant certificates of need, a natural gas utility securitization process, a higher PUC acquisition-cost threshold, changes to the Solar on Schools and PACE programs, a state carbon capture policy, a ban on local governments blocking gas or propane hookups, an advanced nuclear study, and a requirement for Xcel to provide a decommissioning plan for the King plant. The bill also included appropriations for the nuclear study, Solar for Schools, and the Granite Falls hydro facility, plus repeal of the sunset on gas utility infrastructure cost recovery. Several amendments were offered and adopted. An oral amendment reduced a funding amount on page 19 from $2 million to $1 million. The A4 amendment, supported by the chair, required local approval for the site location of large energy facilities over 50 megawatts; members debated local control versus renewable energy goals before it passed. The A9 amendment funded solar panels at the National Sports Center ice rink and maintenance facility, with supporters citing a roughly four- to five-year payback. The A7 amendment revised Renewable Development Account procedures and capped third-party technical assistance at $150,000, and the A8 amendment conformed the fiscal language by repealing an outdated Commerce appropriation. The A6 amendment created a $3.5 million community energy transition grants program for Xcel territory communities affected by major power plants, and it was adopted as well. John Kelly of the Department of Commerce testified in support of the Solar for Schools funding and technical provisions, but said the department was disappointed the omnibus bill did not include several governor’s budget items, including the State Competitiveness Fund, weatherization assistance, water utility resilience funding, and certain private investment proposals. Committee discussion also touched on carbon sequestration policy, nuclear power, and local siting authority. After closing comments, Senator Senjem moved that Senate File 4269, as amended, be recommended to pass and referred to Finance, and the committee approved the motion. The meeting then adjourned.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Senate first handled routine business, including dispensing with further roll call proceedings, adopting committee reports printed in the addendum, and giving Senate File 3540 its second reading. It then suspended the 12-hour rule for conference committee reports on Senate File 3472 and took up the conference committee report on that bill, which extends the Minnesota premium security plan. Senator James explained that the conference report changed the original reinsurance proposal from five years fully paid up front to three years of coverage, with the first two years paid up front and the third paid in the tails. He also described a revised approach to any Basic Health Plan loss, splitting it 50/50 between the health care access fund and the general fund, using the annual transfer from the health care access fund to the general fund. The report also added policy changes requiring postnatal care coverage in individual market policies and flattening out-of-pocket prescription drug costs over 12 months, with insurers required to offer silver and gold plans in each area and a three-year exception to guaranteed renewability for policies with the flattened copay structure. Members offered mixed views. Supporters, including Senator Klein, said the bill would help hold down premiums and praised the added policy provisions, while also noting it was not a broader solution to health care costs. Opponents, including Senator Wiklund and Senator Lopez Franzen, argued the bill was expensive, did not adequately protect MinnesotaCare or address underlying health care affordability, and omitted other policy ideas such as a study, mental health parity, and a public option. Senator Nelson supported the bill, emphasizing the value of predictable copays for expensive prescription drugs, while Senator Marty criticized the bill as a patch for a broken system. Senator Miller said the measure was a compromise that stabilizes the individual market and provides access. The Senate adopted the conference committee report, gave Senate File 3472 its third reading, and then passed the bill on final passage by a vote of 47 ayes to 20 nays. The chamber then moved to announcements and adjourned until Monday, April 4 at 11:00 a.m.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee met remotely on March 31, 2022, approved the March 29 minutes, and first voted to send House File 3605 to the General Register on a 16-0 roll call. The main discussion then focused on House File 2739, the civil legal services funding bill. Chair Becker-Finn explained that the bill was intended to raise base funding for civil legal aid, with testimony and member discussion centered on the need to fully fund services for low-income Minnesotans facing domestic violence, housing instability, discrimination, and benefits issues. Testifiers from civil legal services described a salary crisis and staffing shortages, saying starting attorney pay was about $55,200 and that an additional $4.3 million would help raise starting salaries to $65,000 and stabilize staffing. They reported 11 open staff attorney positions statewide, a 37 percent turnover rate in 2021, and that more than half of eligible low-income clients were turned away. They also said current funding supports just under 500 FTE, while full funding would eventually require about $84 million and roughly 1,000 FTE to meet all need. Members from both parties spoke in support, emphasizing the importance of access to justice and the impact on survivors of domestic violence and other vulnerable groups. Representative Robbins asked whether the emergency staffing and technology request would create a future funding cliff; Chair Becker-Finn clarified that the bill before the committee was the long-term base funding piece and that the emergency portion would be handled in the finance omnibus. The committee then adopted the motion to refer House File 2739 to Ways and Means on a 10-6 vote. The next bill, House File 2738 on public defense funding, was then taken up, with Chair Becker-Finn introducing it and the first public defender testifier beginning testimony about heavy caseloads and the need for more funding.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Higher Education Finance and Policy Committee met on March 31 to hear Senate File 3510, a delete-all amendment bill covering higher education finance and policy. Staff reviewed the A3 amendment’s fiscal changes, which included increases for underrepresented student teacher grants, Minnesota Independent College and Community appropriation, a new student law enforcement degree grant, a youth skills path program, Learn to Earn Coalition funding, Minnesota State workforce development scholarships and O&M, and University of Minnesota funding for the Natural Resources Research Institute and public safety. The policy portion of the bill combined several earlier bills, including the Skills Path program, law enforcement grants, developmental education changes, workforce scholarship changes, permanent university fund changes, and repeal of the candidate advisory council. Testifiers from the Department of Labor and Industry, Minnesota Business Partnership, AFSCME Council 5, and the Office of Higher Education offered mixed views, with support for workforce pathways and scholarship expansion but concerns about hazardous youth work, the bill’s limited scope, and the omission of several governor’s budget recommendations. Members then considered several amendments. The A4 amendment, expanding the Minnesota Higher Education Facilities Authority to finance health care organizations, was adopted. The A12 amendment, which delayed implementation of a policy related to online/competency-based education, was adopted after Senator Putnam raised concerns about the language and its effect on a single corporation. The A13 amendment, adding $200,000 for administration and marketing of the law enforcement workforce scholarship program, was adopted. The A5 amendment, restoring funding for the Minnesota State Grant Program, failed on a roll call vote. The A6 amendment, restoring University of Minnesota public safety funding, also failed on a roll call vote. The A8 amendment, adding $1.2 million for an addiction medicine graduate medical education fellowship at Hennepin County Medical Center, was under consideration at the end of the transcript and proceeded to a roll call vote, with the final result not shown in the excerpt.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House took up the conference report on Senate File 3472, a state government bill extending the Minnesota premium security plan/reinsurance program. Before consideration, Representative Winkler moved to suspend Joint Rule 2.06 to waive the 12-hour rule for conference reports, and the motion prevailed. Representative Stevenson, the bill’s author, explained that the conference compromise funds reinsurance for three years total, includes some reforms on postpartum care and prescription drugs, and transfers $174 million into the health care access fund while trying to hold MinnesotaCare harmless. He urged adoption of the report, arguing it would help keep premiums from rising sharply. Representative Liebling opposed the report, saying reinsurance was a “bridge to nowhere” that mainly subsidized insurance companies rather than addressing health care costs, deductibles, or cost sharing. She said Senate Republicans rejected provisions she favored, including mental health parity enforcement, a report on managed care organizations, and exploring a public option, and she urged a no vote. Representative Haley supported the bill, arguing reinsurance stabilizes the individual market for small business owners, farmers, and other individuals, and said it covers high-cost claims such as cancer, heart failure, and diabetes. Representative Schultz also opposed the bill, saying the House provisions were dropped, taxpayer-funded reinsurance does not guarantee lower premiums, and MinnesotaCare would be a better path. After debate, the House adopted the conference committee report on SF 3472 and gave the bill its third reading as amended by conference. On final passage, the bill passed 106-25, with the title agreed to.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee heard a presentation from Metro Transit on its Zero-Emissions Bus Transition Plan, which was required by legislation passed last year and submitted to the legislature on February 15. Nick Thompson said Metro Transit is targeting at least 20 percent of its 40-foot bus replacements as electric over the next five years, with future targets to be set based on performance measures such as reliability, maintenance, cost per mile, and equity and environmental impacts. He described key barriers including electrical grid and garage charging capacity, supply-chain and manufacturer constraints, and the rapid pace of battery technology changes. He also noted funding efforts, including a proposed $3.2 million state supplemental request to match federal funding for up to four buses, a pending federal grant for 15 more buses, and an earlier grant that secured eight buses expected to come online soon. Joshua Hudec of the Sierra Club testified in support of the transition, arguing that electric buses would reduce climate pollution, diesel exhaust, and health harms that disproportionately affect communities of color and marginalized communities. He said state funding can help unlock federal dollars and speed deployment of Metro Transit’s plan, and pointed to other cities such as Madison, Duluth, and Toronto as examples of agencies moving toward zero-emission buses. During questions, members raised concerns about critical mineral supply chains and whether battery production shifts environmental and labor harms elsewhere. Hudec responded that battery technology is improving rapidly and that investment now is needed to prepare for future deployment. Thompson said Toronto was one of Metro Transit’s peer agencies and a model used in developing the plan, noting that Metro Transit expects to be on par with Toronto soon. No votes or formal actions were taken in the segment.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The Conference Committee on Senate File 3472 and House File 3717 reconvened and, with no further discussion, moved to a vote on Senator James’s motion to adopt the conference committee report as amended. The roll call showed unanimous support from the Senate conferees and a 3-2 split among House conferees, with Representatives Liebling and Schultz voting no and the others voting aye. With five ayes and zero nays among Senate conferees and three ayes and two nays among House conferees, the motion prevailed and the conference committee report was adopted. Staff were then directed to prepare the report and circulate it for electronic signatures so the bill could be passed off both floors. The chair asked members to watch their email closely so the process could move quickly, and then adjourned the committee.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee first took up Senate File 4357, described as a vehicle bill with Senator and Representative Schultz, and adopted it without discussion. It then moved to Senate File 3249, a delete-everything amendment package focused on mental health and related services. Staff outlined roughly 18 sections, including a grant program to support supervision of mental health interns and trainees, notice requirements for DHS changes to grant programs, updates to adult mental health initiative statutes with hold-harmless funding language, locked-facility authority for certain mental health placements, managed care payment requirements, removal of county share from officer-involved coordination services, a new Medicaid-eligible mental health benefit for children in crisis, grants for mental health urgency rooms, school- and shelter-linked mental health grants, adult mobile crisis grants, loan forgiveness for mental health professionals, and appropriations for these programs. The committee adopted the A1 amendment and then discussed a separate amendment related to competency restoration and forensic navigation, but that amendment was not adopted at that point and was instead described as being sent separately to the Judiciary Committee. Testimony on the competency restoration portion came from county and association representatives, including Matt Freeman of the Minnesota Association of County Social Service Administrators and the Association of Minnesota Counties. He said counties support addressing the competency restoration gap but raised concerns about counties being assigned a statewide forensic navigator role, citing lack of infrastructure, unclear responsibility, and possible conflicts with county social workers’ treatment relationships. Senators and the chair emphasized that the issue is bipartisan and that some solution is needed this session, with the chair saying the bill would be moved forward while the competency language would be handled separately. The committee also heard support for the broader mental health package from Angela Youngenberger of Blue Earth County/MACSA/MICA, who argued that DHS funding changes could create winners and losers, reduce services in more than 30 counties, and lead to workforce losses and worse outcomes unless the state invests in the next phase of mental health infrastructure. Additional testimony supported the shelter-linked mental health grant portion from Molly McInerney of Catholic Charities Hope Street, who described how shelter-based mental health therapy helped stabilize a homeless youth with psychosis and connect her to permanent housing. Committee members expressed support for the overall package, and the discussion highlighted that the bill is intended to preserve current funding levels while expanding or stabilizing mental health services, especially for adult mental health initiatives, crisis services, and youth supports. The meeting ended with the committee moving the bill forward in amended form, while the competency restoration language was set aside for separate consideration in Judiciary.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House Early Childhood Finance and Policy Committee met virtually, took attendance, and approved the minutes from its March 29 meeting. Chair Dave Pinto said the committee was beginning its final series of regular meetings and that the day’s focus was a pre-K budget proposal that would be sent to the Education Finance Committee, while the rest of the committee’s budget would be considered later once targets were finalized. Members asked about budget targets and timing, and Pinto said he had a general direction but not final public numbers yet, though he expected to move quickly on a budget bill. The committee then took up House File 4570, a vehicle bill carrying the DE-3 amendment establishing a new voluntary pre-kindergarten program for eligible four-year-olds. Staff explained that the proposal would allow school districts, charter schools, licensed child care centers, licensed family child care providers, and Head Start agencies to operate mixed-delivery VPK programs. The bill includes requirements such as at least 850 hours of instruction, salary parity with comparable public elementary staff, and a lead teacher with a bachelor’s degree by July 1, 2028, with a grandfathering provision for some experienced teachers. It also sets funding rules, requires annual mixed-delivery plans, defines eligible children by income and risk factors, allows some children to participate on a sliding fee basis, and appropriates $96.9 million in fiscal year 2023 for Head Start and child care-based VPK programs. Testimony was largely supportive from the Minnesota Department of Education and Education Minnesota. Supporters said the proposal would expand access to high-quality early learning, serve up to 23,000 four-year-olds, and address low pay and limited professional development for early childhood providers. They emphasized the value of a statewide mixed-delivery model and the importance of aligning care and education. A family child care provider testifying for MCPIN opposed the bill, arguing that the degree requirement and the proposed structure would marginalize child care providers, reduce family choice, and shift children away from child care settings. No vote on final passage was taken in the portion of the meeting provided, but the committee moved to refer HF 4570, as amended, to the Education Finance Committee.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee first heard Senate File 4025, the opioid settlement bill. Senator Rosen and Assistant Attorney General Eric Maloney explained that the bill updates Minnesota law to implement the state’s opioid settlement agreements with Johnson & Johnson and three distributors, align the statute with a state-local memorandum of agreement, and ensure the state can receive settlement payments without delay. The bill would create a claims bar for the settling companies, codify a 75/25 split of funds between local governments and the state, and release certain settlement funds currently held back. Julie Ring of the Association of Minnesota Counties said all 87 counties support the agreement and urged passage. The committee adopted the A3 amendment, described as technical comfort language clarifying that the claims bar applies only to the four settling companies, and then passed SF 4025 as amended and referred it to the Committee on Finance. The committee then took up Senate File 2768, concerning a voluntary salt applicators certification program and related liability provisions. Senator Ruud and testifiers Aaron Clems of the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, Sue Nissen of Stop Over Salting, and Joel Carlson of the Minnesota Association for Justice all supported the bill. They said the measure would promote best management practices, certification, and recordkeeping for commercial salt applicators, with the goal of reducing chloride pollution while maintaining public safety. Testifiers emphasized the environmental harms of overuse, the availability of training through MPCA, and the idea that certification could encourage better practices and lower salt use. During questions, members discussed how best management practices would be defined and how the liability language would work; Senator Ruud explained the bill applies to certified commercial applicators and is intended to clarify existing protections rather than create new liability standards.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee approved the March 24 minutes and then heard House File 4448, which would create a Minnesota Housing Finance grant program to help nonprofit-owned high-rise buildings install fire sprinklers. Representative Noor described the bill as a response to a deadly high-rise fire in his district and said the proposal would fill a gap left by earlier sprinkler legislation that covered public housing but not nonprofit buildings. Testifiers from the Minnesota Pipe Trades Association and the National Fire Sprinkler Association strongly supported the bill, emphasizing the life-saving value of sprinklers for residents, staff, and firefighters, and noting that the proposed $5 million fund with a $250,000 cap per property could help projects become feasible. A committee member noted a possible issue involving public housing and GI bonding, but the bill was laid over for possible inclusion. The committee then took up House File 4508, which would prohibit corporations from purchasing and renting single-family homes, with an amendment adopted to exempt a corporation like 3M when it buys a home for employee housing. Representative Howard argued the bill is meant to curb Wall Street and hedge fund ownership of homes, which he said drives up prices, reduces access to homeownership, and worsens rental conditions; he cited examples of corporate ownership in Minnesota and said the bill includes exemptions for families and smaller owners using LLCs or trusts. The Minnesota Realtors Association testified in opposition, warning that government should be cautious about restricting who may buy property, that market conditions can change, and that the bill’s definitions and enforcement questions are unclear. Members raised concerns about impacts on small landlords and local employers, while Howard said the bill is not retroactive and is intended to target larger market-distorting owners; the bill was laid over for possible inclusion after discussion of whether it should move to other committees, including Civil Law.