Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee took up Senate File 4280, a bill to modify Minnesota’s regulated animal possession prohibitions and exemptions, with the chair outlining the schedule for hearing bills now and doing additional testimony and DE amendment markup later in the week. Before the bill, the chair also noted the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Minnesota and urged continued attention to poultry farmers and state response efforts. SF 4280 was then moved to be held for possible inclusion in the agriculture omnibus bill. Senator Westrom presented the bill as a fix for a private zoo in central Minnesota, explaining that current law allows certain accredited zoos to house additional regulated animals but does not treat ZAA-accredited private zoos the same as AZA-accredited zoos. Testifiers in support, including the Hemker Park and Zoo owner, the ZAA executive director, and another ZAA-affiliated zoo representative, argued that ZAA accreditation has strong animal welfare, safety, and inspection standards and that the current statute unfairly blocks growth and development for smaller or rural zoos. They said the change would allow those facilities to add animals while maintaining public and animal safety. Opposition came from the Wildcat Sanctuary, whose executive director argued that the current law already provides a path for smaller zoos through AZA accreditation and that expanding the exemption to ZAA would broaden access to dangerous animals statewide. She said ZAA facilities have had USDA citations and warned the bill could increase the number of big cats, bears, and primates in Minnesota, creating safety risks. No vote on the bill was taken in the portion of the meeting provided; the bill was laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus package.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Legacy Finance Committee heard Senate File 2642, which Senator Rarick said would be laid over. The bill would clarify rules for drilling small drainage holes in precast concrete septic tanks during storage to prevent freeze damage, then sealing or repairing the holes before the tanks are put into service. The bill’s supporter, David Christian of Elsato Products of Minnesota, said the practice is common in the industry, that the company uses a 3M mastic seal and plug designed for septic use, and that testing showed the repaired tanks met or exceeded watertight and airtight standards. MPCA officials Dana Vanderbosch and Courtney Allers Nelson testified in opposition or with concerns, saying the agency’s main issue is long-term integrity and homeowner/environmental risk. They said drilling holes compromises the tank, there is no long-term field data showing patched tanks remain leak-proof for the life of a septic system, and the bill lacks minimum standards for how holes must be sealed. They also cited enforcement cases where leaking tanks released septage into soils and said local governments currently may approve such tanks with engineer sign-off, but the bill would remove that discretion. In response to questions, the MPCA said it would be open to approving tanks if the language were more specific and rulemaking addressed acceptable sealing methods. Members questioned the witnesses about the testing, the sealing material, and whether contamination of wells was a realistic concern given septic setbacks. Supporters argued the risk is small and the drainage holes help prevent winter cracking, while opponents said the concern is not setbacks alone but the possibility of a leaking noncompliant tank over decades. No vote was taken; the bill was laid over for possible further work on the language.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard Senate File 4114, a proposal to create a DEED-administered community wealth building grant program to support employee ownership, cooperatives, and commercial land trusts through community partners making low-interest loans to targeted underserved groups. Senator Chamberlain and testifiers from MCCD and Terra Firma said the program would help small businesses with succession planning, keep jobs and wealth in Minnesota, and provide technical assistance and revolving seed capital rather than an ongoing grant expense. Marty Ruddy described his company’s successful conversion to employee ownership, saying the transition grew sales and employment and moved profits to workers. The committee also heard Senate File 1547, which would direct the Department of Labor and Industry to study the adequacy of police disability benefits and related pension offsets. Senator Jasinski and Wendy Wulff described a gap in current law affecting officers who are permanently disabled before retirement age, arguing that some injured public safety workers lose wage-loss benefits after two years and can be left financially worse off than those injured later in their careers. Members adopted the A2 amendment, and the bill was laid over for possible inclusion. Finally, the committee took up Senate File 4153, a southwest Minnesota workforce scholarship pilot for an 18-county region. Senator Weber, mayors from La Verne and Marshall, the Southwest Initiative Foundation, and the regional workforce board said the five-year program would use workforce development funds to provide scholarships for students in high-demand trades and other programs, with employer contributions and a proposed tax credit to follow in a separate committee. Testifiers emphasized severe labor shortages, out-migration to neighboring states, and the need to retain young workers; the A1 authors amendment was adopted, and the bill was laid over for possible inclusion.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: House File 3346, relating to state government, was taken up in the House. Representative Lilly offered and the chamber adopted an A-1 amendment that added several contracts and a memorandum of understanding that had not been heard in subcommittee. Lilly explained that the bill ratifies collective bargaining agreements, compensation plans, and memorandums of understanding negotiated between the governor and labor groups for state employees, including agreements covering roughly 39,000 workers such as law enforcement, corrections staff, nurses, and other state employees. He said most of the contracts followed a similar pattern of modest wage increases, with some changes to benefits and out-of-pocket costs, and noted that some agreements were for the prior biennium while others were for 2023. Several members spoke in support. Representative Joakim highlighted the work of state employees during the pandemic, said the contracts included updates on training, retention, safety equipment, telework, and sick leave, and emphasized a provision making 3-D mammograms covered like regular mammograms to remove a cost barrier. Representative Carlson also praised state workers and supported the modest compensation increase. Representative O’Neill, the second author, said the contracts were carefully reviewed, noted that some cost less than the previous biennium and that nine contracts were cheaper than before, and argued the agreements were below inflation and affordable given the state surplus. Majority Leader Winkler urged strong bipartisan support and said the contracts were hard-fought and reasonable, while Lilly closed by thanking members and stressing the importance of supporting state workers. After discussion ended, the House took the roll. The bill passed as amended by a vote of 107 ayes and 24 nays, and its title was agreed to.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: Lawmakers and workers discussed a package of labor-related measures in the Minnesota House focused on worker safety, paid sick leave, and state employee contracts. The main safety bill would require large warehouses to disclose quotas to workers, give workers access to their personal information, and prohibit quotas from interfering with rest, prayer, or bathroom breaks. Supporters said the bill was aimed at Amazon warehouse conditions, citing high injury rates, intense electronic monitoring, changing productivity targets, and pressure that they said leads to injuries and unsafe work. Several Amazon workers testified in support of the warehouse bill. Mohammed Mire described the job as physically punishing and said the pace and pressure had caused injuries and made it difficult to safely return home to his family. Taylor Hamilton said workers often do not know their productivity expectations, that quotas change without notice, and that the uncertainty pushes people to work faster at their own expense. Both argued the bill was common-sense and necessary to make expectations clear and improve safety. The committee also heard remarks on the Earn Sick and Safe Time bill, which House DFL members said would let workers take paid time off when they or family members are sick and would improve public health by reducing the spread of illness. Rep. Leon Lillie spoke in support of ratifying state employee contracts covering about 39,000 workers, saying the governor negotiated with work groups and that the contracts recognize essential work performed during the pandemic. In response to questions, House leaders said they were willing to continue discussions with the Senate and Republicans on related issues, and one member said the contracts had received a solid bipartisan committee vote and were expected to pass early.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: Legislative leaders and the governor met to discuss a House Democratic counteroffer on refilling Minnesota’s unemployment trust fund, with Republicans saying the proposal moved negotiations backward and would still lead to a tax increase for employers. Republicans argued the trust fund should be handled separately from other issues, said the fund needs $2.7 billion to avoid higher business taxes, and described the fund as a safety net for laid-off workers that is financed by employers. They also said the federal government expects a reserve level and that the fund was around $1.7 billion before COVID. The Republican speakers criticized the Democratic offer as overly complicated and said it would raise employer taxes even if statutory changes were made to soften the impact. They said the governor had previously agreed on the need to protect employers from the tax increase and blamed the current shortfall on COVID-era shutdowns. They also noted that the Senate had already passed the issue with strong bipartisan support, 55-11, and urged the House to take a vote rather than continue negotiations. The meeting ended with both sides saying they would continue talks. Leaders said they planned to meet again the next day, while a conference committee was also scheduled to meet that night to discuss reinsurance, unemployment insurance, and other issues tied to the liquor omnibus bill passed by the House Commerce committee.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: Legislative leaders and the governor discussed several budget and policy negotiations, led by a major dispute over unemployment insurance trust fund replenishment and a separate proposal for frontline worker payments. House Democrats said they offered $1 billion for frontline workers, using $250 million in federal American Rescue Plan funds and $750 million from the general fund, and increased their unemployment insurance offer to $1.85 billion while also proposing statutory rate changes. Senate Republicans and House GOP leaders criticized the offer as a step backward, arguing the trust fund should be handled separately and warning that anything short of roughly $2.7 billion would lead to higher employer taxes. The leaders also discussed reinsurance, with House Democrats saying it should be part of the broader negotiations and emphasizing a Friday deadline for a CMS waiver. They argued the state’s reinsurance program helps keep individual market premiums down, but that there should also be discussion of cost containment and prescription drug prices. Both sides expressed some hope for continued talks, with plans to meet again the next day and conference committee work expected that evening. Other topics included education funding, drought relief and agriculture issues, and avian influenza response. One leader said education funding formulas and special education cross-subsidy relief were likely to move forward with conference committee compromise, while another said the Senate expected a floor vote later in the week. The meeting also briefly touched on a possible beer/growler bill from the House Commerce Committee, with participants saying it could be considered if broader negotiations on essential workers and unemployment insurance advance.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House Property Tax Division met to approve the March 23 minutes and then took up the division report amendment A22-0389, which was adopted by voice vote. The chair explained that the report reflects eight weeks of committee work and includes investments in property tax relief, local government aid, county program aid, school equalization, renters credits, and other property tax programs. Public testimony was planned after the staff walkthrough, and the committee had a quorum with 11 members of the public signed up to testify. Nonpartisan staff then walked through Article 1, the property tax article. Major provisions included a major renter’s credit change that would move the income calculation to adjusted gross income and place the credit on income tax forms, school equalization changes, a property tax exemption for certain airport property, solar and energy storage classification changes, community land trust and manufactured home park classification changes, industrial hemp classification, updates to the disabled veterans exclusion, increases to the homestead market value exclusion, a higher school building bond agricultural credit, lower interest-rate floors for delinquent property taxes, and expanded senior citizens property tax deferral eligibility. Members asked about property tax shifting; staff said the senior deferral program causes no shifting because the state makes the payments, while the homestead market value exclusion would generally shift less than half a percent onto other property classes, with additional shifting from the community land trust and manufactured home provisions. Article 2 covered state aids, including local government aid formula changes, a larger LGA appropriation increase, a county program aid increase, a new aid program for soil and water conservation districts, the Stronger Community Aid Program replacing the Local Performance Measurement Program, and aid penalty forgiveness for Echo and Morton. Article 3 covered tax increment financing, with technical and policy changes to TIF law and special authority for Fridley, Hopkins, Plymouth, Savage, and Woodbury, including changes to administrative expense rules, five-year rule exceptions, and district-specific spending authority. Article 4 began the local taxes section, including changes to general local sales tax law and special local sales tax authority, starting with Rochester’s local sales tax extension and project uses; the transcript cuts off as the walkthrough continued.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee met on March 28, 2022, to hear a walkthrough of Senate File 2673, the public safety omnibus bill carried by Senator Lur. The chair said there would be no committee action or public testimony at this hearing. Senator Lur framed the bill as covering the full criminal justice system, emphasizing transparency, accountability, and resources, and said the proposal focuses on youth intervention, violent crime, sentencing guidelines, law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, prisons, probation, and public defenders. In his overview, Senator Lur argued for increased funding for youth intervention programs, stronger penalties for violent and firearm-related offenses, changes to sentencing guidelines and probation caps, more oversight of the Sentencing Guidelines Commission, and greater transparency for prosecutors and judges through searchable databases and public reporting. He also discussed support for law enforcement recruitment, training, equipment, and retention, while stressing local control. He said the bill includes funding for judges, court staff, and public defenders, noting public defenders have been underfunded and that the bill would add significant resources to reduce caseloads. Mr. Turner then walked through the spreadsheet and budget details. He listed appropriations including 6% compensation increases for Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and district court judges and staff; $50 million for public defenders; funding for sentencing-guideline-related databases and reports; and Department of Corrections costs tied to several sentencing bills, probation and supervision funding, and interstate transport reimbursement. On the public safety side, he listed grants for police recruitment, Pathways to Policing, gunfire detection, mental health treatment for first responders, VSET grants, emergency management, youth intervention, school safety specialists, prosecutor training, body cameras, use-of-force training, police education reimbursements, recruitment and retention bonuses, skills programs, and shelter services for racially diverse youth. He also noted two general fund revenue impacts related to court document copy fees and a family resiliency fee reallocation, and reported total net spending of about $199.4 million in fiscal year 2023 and $255.6 million in the 2024-25 tails.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard Senate File 3338, as amended, which would give the Commerce commissioner flexibility to approve innovative long-term care insurance products, including a “life stage” product that functions like term life insurance at younger ages and provides long-term care benefits later. Department of Commerce staff said the bill would clarify approval authority for products that are not clearly approvable under current law but offer reasonable benefits and are in the policyholder’s best interest. There were no member questions, and the committee adopted the A1 amendment and recommended the bill be passed and sent to General Orders. The committee then took up Senate File 4345, as amended, which would update the bullion coin statute to make it Minnesota-specific and conform it to a court ruling involving the statute’s reach. Commerce testified that the bill is intended as a consumer protection measure for bullion coin transactions in Minnesota. A testifier involved in the litigation argued the committee should wait for the pending federal appeal before changing the law, but Commerce and the author said the bill was needed now to comply with the court’s instructions and preserve consumer protections. The A1 amendment was adopted, and the bill was re-referred to General Orders. After a brief recess, the committee heard Senate File 3036, with an amendment clarifying that the bill applies to licenses and registrations that require criminal background checks. The bill would create a pre-application process so people with criminal records can learn before investing in education or training whether their history would disqualify them from licensure. Commerce supported the concept, saying it aligns with existing informal review processes and could help open more professions, though it noted some costs and asked for follow-up on the amendment’s scope. Testimony from the Minnesota Asset Building Coalition and the Council of State Governments Justice Center emphasized transparency, reduced barriers to work, and public safety; the committee adopted the amendment and passed the bill to Finance.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Senate opened with a quorum call, prayer, and pledge, then took up messages from the House. The main bill considered was Senate File 3372, a health appropriations bill for ALS research and caregiver support programs. Senator Bach explained that the House made a small change expanding the caregiver grant program so respite support, not just equipment purchases, would be eligible, and he urged concurrence. The Senate agreed to the House amendments by voice vote, and the bill was then read for third reading. Senator Tomassoni’s remarks were read into the record in support of the ALS bill. He described the measure as deeply meaningful to his family and praised the near-unanimous legislative support, saying it could help advance research toward a cure. After roll call, the bill passed its title unanimously, 67-0. The Senate also received House amendments to Senate File 3472, a state government bill, and on Senator James’s motion the Senate refused to concur and instead requested a five-member conference committee. Later, the Senate adopted committee reports, gave second readings to several Senate files and House File 4165, and referred Senate Resolutions 111, 112, and 113 to Rules and Administration. In announcements, Senators Kent and Latz raised concerns about late posting of committee agendas and transparency requirements; Senator James said he would take responsibility. Senator Bakk said the capital investment committee was waiting for calendars to clear and for the governor’s bill language, which had just been received. Senator Westrom reported new avian influenza detections in the state, and Senator Lopez Franzen discussed ongoing negotiations on unemployment insurance and frontline worker pay. The Senate also announced a reinsurance conference committee meeting, appointed a conference committee on SF 3472, and then adjourned on Senator Miller’s motion until March 29 at noon.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The meeting focused mainly on end-of-session negotiations over unemployment insurance, reinsurance, and related budget items. Leadership said the House had improved its offer by adding about $700 million to the unemployment insurance trust fund and clarifying coverage for essential workers such as hourly wage workers and bus drivers. The governor said the Senate should review the new offer in good faith, while emphasizing that the most urgent issue was reinsurance because a CMS waiver deadline was approaching Friday. Conferees were to be appointed that day, meet that night, and aim for a report and possible floor vote as early as Wednesday. The governor also discussed a drought relief and agriculture package that would address highly pathogenic avian influenza after its recent appearance in Minnesota, noting the state is better prepared than in 2015 and that surveillance measures are being worked on with the agriculture commissioner. He also referenced a new mail-order program for long-term COVID management, including testing, boosters, and possible vaccination for young children, as part of preparing for future surges. In response to questions, the governor said he was cautiously optimistic about reinsurance, describing it as expensive but important for keeping rates down and suggesting there may be bipartisan agreement on adjustments, even if broader cost-containment ideas like prescription drug pricing are not resolved now. He also said education funding will likely need continued legislative support after recent teacher contract increases, but expressed confidence that the state can reach a compromise, including on fully funding education and reducing the special education cross-subsidy. Later, he said drought aid differences could be worked out in conference and expressed support for a possible House Commerce bill easing brewery growler sales and packaging rules, while joking that lawmakers should finish the UI issue first.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The discussion focused on a budget negotiation between the House and Senate over funding for frontline workers, unemployment insurance, and reinsurance. The House side said it had offered $1 billion for frontline worker payments, with up to $1,500 per worker for about 667,000 workers, using $250 million in American Rescue Plan funds and $750 million from the state general fund. It also said it had increased its unemployment insurance offer by $700 million, to $1.85 billion for the UI trust fund, and proposed legislation to adjust employer assessment rates in 2022. A key point of dispute was whether the unemployment insurance proposal would satisfy federal requirements and avoid penalties. The House argued that repaying the full federal debt plus interest would prevent any federal penalty, including a FUTA-related assessment if the fund were not positive by November 30, 2022. The speaker also said the federal government did not require restoring the fund surplus to pre-pandemic levels. The House described its offer as a significant move toward the Senate and urged the Senate to respond in good faith and move toward compromise. Reinsurance was also discussed as a separate but related issue. The speaker characterized the state’s reinsurance program as a subsidy to insurers intended to lower individual market premiums, and said insurers should in return help keep costs down for prescription drugs and other benefits. The participants expressed hope that all three issues could be resolved quickly, possibly by the next day, but no final agreement or vote was reported in the exchange.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee met in hybrid format, established a quorum, and adopted the March 23, 2022 minutes. It then heard House File 1332, which would create the Headwaters Community Food and Water Economic Resiliency Program to support local and regional regenerative food webs through an advisory committee, financial and technical assistance, and an appropriation. The author and supporters described the bill as a way to strengthen local food systems, create jobs, improve environmental sustainability, and address food, water, and climate challenges. Testimony on HF 1332 came from Marita Boujou, Jeanette Dean of MN350, and Roxanne O'Brien of Community Members for Environmental Justice, all in support. They emphasized ecosystem health, local food access, community wealth-building, environmental justice, and the need to invest in regional food infrastructure. Members raised questions about the bill’s references to health care, subsidies for fruits and vegetables, the lack of a fiscal appropriation, the use of DEED rather than the Department of Agriculture, and language about rights of nature/personhood for ecosystems. The author said the bill could be amended and explained that the health care language was intended to recognize needs of farmers and other workers in the food web. HF 1332 was laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill. The committee then took up House File 4488, and adopted the author’s D2 amendment, which clarified how funds would be used and added reporting/accountability language. The bill was presented as an economic recovery and resiliency measure for Asian American and Asian Minnesotan communities, responding to the impacts of COVID-19 and rising anti-Asian hate. Testimony from the author and Taumei Chong of the Coalition of Asian American Leaders highlighted business losses, frontline work risks, violence and harassment, and the need for grants, technical assistance, language access, and research support. HF 4488 was also laid over for possible inclusion.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee first took up Senate File 61, concerning physician-administered medications. Department of Human Services budget director Elise Bailey explained the fiscal note, saying the bill would split pharmacy and administration claims and require DHS to do post-payment review to prevent duplicate payments. She said the department estimated 3.5 FTEs total: a half-FTE for data analysis and reporting, one policy staffer to review claims and coordinate with providers, and two FTEs for SIRS investigations of suspected overpayments. Senator Benson questioned whether the work duplicated existing review functions and argued the department should not be making medical-necessity determinations without physicians. The committee then voted to recommend the bill as amended and refer it to the Finance Committee. The committee next heard Senate File 3580, as amended by the A2 amendment. Senator Koran said the bill would expand DHS reporting on the effects of last year’s dental reimbursement increase by adding data on the number and geographic distribution of dentists treating Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare enrollees. Members said the added information would help determine whether higher reimbursement improved access, while the amendment was intended to avoid identifying individual dentists in small rural areas. The committee adopted the amendment and then voted to recommend the bill as amended and send it to General Orders. Finally, the committee heard Senate File 4025 on opioid settlement funds. Senator Rosen and Assistant Attorney General Eric Maloney described the bill as implementing Minnesota’s state-local agreement for opioid settlement proceeds, including a 75/25 split between local governments and the state, a new settlement account, and a claims bar to maximize payments and avoid delays. Maloney said without the bill, settlement payments could be delayed until August, the state share could be reduced, and the current law would keep funds in a separate account with limited release. Angie Tease of the Association of Minnesota Counties testified in support, saying counties needed the bill so funds could be released quickly for opioid response efforts. The committee adopted the technical amendment and then voted to recommend the bill as amended and send it to the Committee on Civil Law and Data Practices.