Keywords: 1183, house

Keywords: 1183, house

Keywords: 1183, house

Keywords: 1183, house

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee took up a large delete-all amendment and walked through a multi-article DHS policy bill covering children and family services, behavioral health, community supports, licensing, and related administrative changes. The chair described the bill as a committee product built from several Senate files, including provisions on Safe Harbor funding restrictions, Family Assets for Independence, the Homeless Youth Act, MFIP contact and income-calculation changes, eligibility data use, a proposed Department of Behavioral Health, mental health service standards, coordinated care technical changes, community supports technical corrections, capacity increases for certain residential settings, case management evaluation language, telehealth cleanup, MnCHOICES-related assessment changes, ABLE account conformity, alternative overnight supervision, and respite care in unlicensed settings. The chair emphasized an open amendment process and said the bill would go to Finance because some policy language could affect appropriations, though no direct appropriations were included. The Department of Human Services, through Matt Burdick and Christy Graham, said it appreciated the inclusion of many department proposals and the collaborative work on the bill, but raised several concerns. DHS said it does not support creating a standalone behavioral health agency and noted possible fiscal impacts. It also objected to some case management changes as potentially limiting choice and moving away from CMS-aligned redesign work, and raised policy and safety concerns about extending co-signed leases in non-provider-controlled settings and allowing respite care in unlicensed settings. On the A16 amendment, which would create a statewide children’s crisis stabilization service, DHS said it supported the policy direction but believed the proposal would likely have a program cost. Members and testifiers also discussed the workforce shortage and the need for more flexible service models. Supporters of the children’s crisis stabilization proposal, including Aspire Minnesota’s Kirsten Anderson and Tim Hunter of the southeast regional crisis center, said the service was long overdue, had been studied years earlier, and would provide timely, trauma-informed crisis care for children and families. The chair and supporters said the committee needed to “push the envelope” to address long-term workforce pressures and service gaps, while also acknowledging concerns about informed choice and safety in some of the residential and respite-related provisions. The committee adopted the A2 delete-all amendment and then moved to the A3 amendment, which would allow certain reports to expire or continue based on prior legislative review; the A3 was adopted on voice vote. The A16 amendment was then taken up, with the department indicating it likely carried a cost and would need further work before Finance.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee met virtually on March 24, 2022, approved the March 22 minutes, and noted it had four bills on the agenda, with one bill expected to be taken up later in the day if needed. The first bill, House File 4036, was laid over for possible inclusion in the committee’s finance bill. The bill would create a task force to study Minnesota’s aging population and whether the state should create a Department of Aging. The author and supporters, including a University of Minnesota public health professor and a Minnesota Board on Aging member, argued that Minnesota is facing a major demographic shift, especially in Greater Minnesota, and needs long-term planning on housing, transportation, health care, and social services. Some members questioned whether the proposal would duplicate existing work or expand government, while supporters said it would improve coordination and integration across current systems. The committee then took up House File 4293, described as a technical bill that would serve as the vehicle for the omnibus bill. The Office of the Secretary of State explained that it makes minor updates to absentee ballot envelope terminology, and the bill was laid over. Next, the committee heard House File 4310, another technical elections bill with a detailed section-by-section explanation from the Secretary of State’s office. The bill included changes related to absentee voting, safe-at-home ballots, utility workers and emergency responders, in-person absentee locations, mail balloting for small towns, assistance limits on election day, canvassing procedures, special elections to fill legislative vacancies, and campaign restrictions near polling places. Members then began considering amendments to House File 4310. Representative Kosnick offered the A2 amendment, which would have barred for-profit and nonprofit groups from contributing to election costs, arguing that outside contributions could undermine election integrity. Opponents said the amendment was a major policy change, not a technical fix, and the committee defeated it on a roll call vote of 4 yeas and 7 nays. After that, the committee moved on to the A3 amendment, and a roll call was requested, but the transcript ends before the vote is recorded.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee first approved the minutes from March 22 by voice vote. It then heard House File 4405, a bill brought by Representative Houseman and supported by Aeon, on expanding how housing infrastructure bonds can be used. Testifier Sarah Harris said the bill would let projects include a mix of affordability levels within one development while still prioritizing deeply affordable units, setting a floor for the number and share of lower-income units, capping affordability at 80 percent of area median income, and giving Minnesota Housing Finance Agency more flexibility in scoring. Members adopted the A1 amendment, which was described as clarifying an ambiguity in the bill, and then laid the bill over as amended. The committee next heard House File 3971, presented by Representative Badger and Build Wealth Minnesota, seeking $10 million to support a homeownership initiative aimed at closing Minnesota’s racial homeownership gap. David McGee described Build Wealth Minnesota’s financial education and counseling work, its history since 2004, and its goal of helping about 9,000 families of color become homeowners over five to seven years through a targeted mortgage pool and related lending partnerships. Representative Gomez raised concerns about Wells Fargo’s role in the mortgage market and its history of discriminatory lending, and McGee responded that the organization was working with Wells Fargo and other banks but wanted them to invest more and help expand access to homeownership. The bill was laid over as amended. Finally, the committee began hearing House File 443 on NOAH preservation from the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund. Warren Hanson said the bill would increase funding for preserving naturally occurring affordable housing to $150 million for fiscal years 2022 and 2023, add NOAH funding to the base, and provide predictable multi-year gap financing to preserve thousands of affordable homes. He said Minnesota is losing affordable units faster than it is producing them, with rising acquisition costs making preservation harder, and cited statewide and metro-area data on units at risk. The hearing was still in progress when the transcript ended, with additional testimony and presentation on the bill underway.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House convened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, a quorum call, approval of the previous day’s journal, adoption of committee reports, second readings of several House Files, introduction of House Files 4574-4624, and receipt of Senate File 2736. Senate File 2736 was first read and referred, along with House File 2671, for comparison. The main floor action centered on Senate File 3372, a health bill relating to ALS. Representative Lislegard described the disease’s impact through his friend Senator Tomassoni and said the bill would dedicate $20 million for ALS research and $5 million in grants to help individuals and families. Representative New Brindley offered and had adopted an amendment to clarify caregiver support and allow funds to be used for home health respite care; a technical amendment to that amendment was also adopted. Members then spoke at length about ALS, caregiving burdens, research needs, and the hope the bill could provide. The bill passed as amended by a vote of 121 ayes and 9 noes. The House then took up House File 4165, which would divest the State Board of Investment from Russia and Belarus and codify executive actions ending state contracts with those countries. Representative Jordan presented the bill as a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and several members expressed support for divestment. Representative Lucero offered multiple amendments to broaden the bill to other countries and to restrict ESG-related investing and financial practices; one amendment was ruled not germane, and the others were withdrawn after debate. Representative Quam then offered an amendment to include Russia or China, arguing China was helping Russia evade sanctions; the transcript cuts off before final action on that amendment.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee first took up Senate File 2905, a Senator Thomas bill providing supplemental financing for the University of Minnesota’s Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI). University Vice President for Research Michael Oakes and NRRI Executive Director Rolf Wieberg testified in support, describing NRRI’s role in applied research, economic development, and partnerships that leverage state funding to attract federal grants. Wieberg said the institute is out of space at its Duluth facility and needs flexible laboratory renovations there, as well as a new mineral processing and metallurgy building at Coleraine, to support work on ecosystem resilience, future forest industries, and iron and minerals. Members offered supportive comments about NRRI’s work and its potential to create jobs and new markets, and the bill was laid over for possible inclusion. The committee then heard Senate File 4096, which was amended with a technical A1 amendment and laid over as amended. The bill would create a one-time scholarship program for 1,000 students entering accredited allied health technician programs in Minnesota, with $5,000 scholarships for laboratory professionals, respiratory therapists, radiology technologists, and surgical technicians. The author and the Minnesota Hospital Association testified that the state faces major health care workforce shortages, especially after COVID-19, and that scholarships are a proven way to recruit students into these high-demand careers. Supportive comments from members emphasized the need to strengthen the pipeline for essential health care workers. Finally, the committee took up Senate File 3510, which was amended with the A2 amendment before testimony. The bill concerns a student parent support initiative. Testifiers from the Office of Higher Education, Raise the Bar, and a student parent described the barriers parenting students face, including child care, finances, housing, and scheduling, and argued that targeted support such as child care navigation, financial aid, and campus services would improve persistence and completion. They cited data showing low completion rates for student parents and potential long-term savings from higher educational attainment. The bill remained under consideration after testimony, with the transcript ending during the presentation of testimony.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House took up Senate File 3472, a bill to reauthorize Minnesota’s reinsurance program for the individual and small-group insurance markets. Representative Stevenson, the bill’s author, said the program helps hold down premium increases and argued the bill also protects MinnesotaCare from being reduced by reinsurance, adds limits on out-of-pocket costs, and includes study language to examine what should follow the program long term. He also framed the measure as necessary because federal premium subsidies are set to expire and consumers need protection from higher costs. Members then debated and voted on several amendments. Stevenson’s motion to substitute House language into the bill was adopted on a roll call, 69-60. Representative O’Driscoll offered amendments to restore the original 94 percent actuarial value and to move money back into the premium security account; both were defeated on roll call votes. Representative Gruenhagen offered an amendment to remove the bill’s public option language; he argued it would expand government-run health care, increase costs, reduce provider access, and move Minnesota toward single-payer. Stevenson and Representative Schultz opposed that amendment, saying the public option study was intended to help uninsured and underinsured Minnesotans, small businesses, and people with unaffordable coverage, while protecting MinnesotaCare. The Gruenhagen amendment was also defeated on roll call. During debate, Stevenson defended the Affordable Care Act and said federal action could help make coverage more affordable, while Gruenhagen criticized Obamacare, public options, and single-payer proposals, citing concerns about bureaucracy, reimbursement rates, rural hospitals, and access to care. Schultz explained that the bill’s public option language was only a study proposal and said it would require analysis of market impacts, finances, and implementation costs. The transcript ends amid continued floor debate, with no final disposition of the bill itself shown.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee met remotely on March 24, 2022, approved the March 22 minutes, and then took up House File 4377, the Clean Water Fund appropriations bill. The committee adopted the DE-3 amendment and then the A1 amendment, which filled in blanks related to easement/monitoring account language, before adopting the DE-3 as amended. The bill was then moved for re-referral to the Legacy Finance Committee. Staff walked through the bill’s appropriations, which focused on water-quality and environmental monitoring items including testing for neonicotinoids in trout streams, microplastics and nanoplastics, PFAS monitoring in several waters and wells, lead sinker collection, peatlands work, Conservation Corps restoration grants, CREP/peatland-related funding, lead service line replacement grants through the Metropolitan Council and Public Facilities Authority, and University of Minnesota research on 6PPDQ. Representative Hanson said the bill was based on testimony heard during the year and aimed to address contaminants, protect water quality, and leverage federal funds. Agency testifiers from DNR and MPCA generally supported the bill’s goals, while noting some implementation issues. DNR said peatland protection and restoration work is important and that some peatlands are school trust lands, making acquisition or easement work significant. MPCA said the emerging contaminant investments were appreciated but flagged one subdivision’s $45,000 report funding as potentially too small for the work. Members raised questions about whether some language, especially “other activities” in the lead sinker program, was too vague and whether the agencies and grantees could spend the money within the available time. Hanson and staff responded that the appropriations were intended to last four years, with some federal-linked funds available longer, and that the bill’s amounts were set by the author rather than agency requests. No recorded roll-call vote was taken on final passage in the portion provided.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee took up House File 4377, the Clean Water Fund appropriations bill. Representative Hanson moved the DE-3 delete-all amendment and then an A1 amendment to fill in blanks related to easement components; both amendments were adopted. The bill was then amended and advanced with a motion to recommend re-referral to the Legacy Finance Committee. Hanson described the bill as a package of roughly $47.5 million for water-quality priorities, including PFAS monitoring, microplastics and nanoplastics research, lead reduction efforts, peatlands work, CREP-related conservation, and lead service line replacement grants. Staff walked through the bill’s major appropriations, including funding for the Department of Agriculture to test neonicotinoids in trout streams, PCA monitoring of PFAS and other contaminants in several waters and private wells, a $5 million microplastics/nanoplastics protocol appropriation, DNR peatlands reporting and Conservation Corps restoration work, Metropolitan Council and Public Facilities Authority grants to replace residential lead service lines, and University of Minnesota research on 6PPD. Hanson said the amounts were based on committee priorities and prior testimony, with the largest shares going to lead service lines and CREP/peatlands, and noted the bill was intended to supplement federal funds rather than supplant them. Agency witnesses generally supported the focus of the bill but raised implementation concerns. DNR said peatlands protection is important and suggested purchasing trust lands could be a major step; BWSR said the CREP agreement has a 60,000-acre cap and current funding would likely reach 42,000 to 45,000 acres, with the bill adding more acreage. MPCA supported attention to emerging contaminants but said one peatlands-related report item would be difficult with limited staff. Representative Heinzmann questioned the lack of a Clean Water Council recommendation and said the bill’s numbers appeared to be set by the author rather than agencies; Hanson responded that legislators can appropriate directly and that the issues are urgent enough not to wait for the council’s normal process. Heinzmann said he would vote no, while Hanson and supporters emphasized the need to act quickly on lead, PFAS, plastics, and peatlands.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee heard House File 3944, as amended by the DE1 and a friendly A4 amendment, and voted to adopt both amendments. The bill, authored by Representative Sandstede, would create relief for customers and municipal utilities affected by the February 2021 polar vortex and resulting natural gas price spike. Representative Stevenson’s A4 amendment expanded the concept to include a program for investor-owned utility customers as well, creating a new account to provide relief beyond municipal utilities. Representative Sandstede and several testifiers described severe impacts on municipal utilities, especially Hibbing, Owatonna, and New Ulm, saying the short-lived gas price surge led to unexpectedly large bills, reserve drawdowns, and customer payment plans. Testifiers from Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association, Owatonna Public Utilities, Hibbing Public Utilities, New Ulm Public Utilities, and the Citizens Utility Board said the event strained households, businesses, and utility finances, and argued the bill would provide needed rebates or refundable tax credits. A Northern Foundry representative also said high energy costs hurt industrial competitiveness and made it harder to compete with plants in other states. Questions from members focused on whether the bill’s relief structure might exclude some customers, such as grain elevators that used gas outside the critical period, and on whether the situation amounted to price gouging. Representative Sandstede said she did not have a full answer on the grain elevator issue but was willing to work on it, and said her use of “price gouging” reflected the scale of the spike rather than a legal finding. A Citizens Utility Board witness said federal investigations into the gas price spike were still open and that Minnesota had not passed a separate price-gouging authority for the Attorney General. A Public Utilities Commission witness explained that the PUC was already investigating utility prudence in the storm, had limited interim recovery to 63 months in many cases, and that the amended bill would direct appropriated funds into a special revenue account for commission-ordered relief to IOU ratepayers after that investigation concludes.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard testimony from Judy Greenwald and Patrick White of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance on advanced nuclear energy, its role in deep decarbonization, and the status of advanced reactor development. They argued that advanced nuclear can provide firm, 24/7 low-carbon power to complement renewables, support climate goals, and help the U.S. regain global leadership in nuclear technology. They described several announced projects and deployment timelines, including TerraPower in Wyoming, X-energy in Washington state, Oklo at Idaho National Laboratory, Kairos in Tennessee, and others in Illinois, Idaho, Canada, and elsewhere. They also discussed reactor types such as high-temperature gas reactors, sodium fast reactors, and TRISO fuel, and said the NRC is modernizing its licensing framework to be more risk-informed, performance-based, and technology-inclusive. Members asked about costs, waste, and safety. White said capital costs remain highly developer-specific and estimated broad ranges of roughly $3,000 to $8,000 per kilowatt, while emphasizing that system-level costs depend on how nuclear pairs with storage and renewables. On waste, he said advanced reactors will still produce spent fuel, but some designs may use fuel more efficiently and potentially reduce waste over time; he also described longer-term concepts such as transmutation and molten salt reactors as promising but still developmental. Greenwald said NIA supports safe interim storage and believes permanent storage can be done safely, but that the long-term solution is ultimately a political and societal decision that should use a consent-based process involving affected communities. She said Yucca Mountain is not a technical question but a political one, and noted federal efforts to explore consent-based siting. The committee then heard from George Griffith of Idaho National Laboratory, who discussed “fossil to fission” opportunities—repurposing retiring coal plant sites for nuclear deployment. He said coal plants offer valuable existing grid interconnections, transmission, water, cooling systems, and workforces that could be reused, but cautioned that coal and nuclear plants are not directly interchangeable and that significant technical innovation would still be needed. No votes or formal actions were taken in the portion provided; the discussion was informational and included member questions and witness responses.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee met in Human Services Finance and Policy, approved the March 23, 2022 minutes by voice vote, and laid over bills for possible inclusion in the Human Services omnibus bill. The first bill, House File 3271, received an A1 amendment and was described as a 10 percent increase in reimbursement rates for outpatient behavioral health services, especially adult rehabilitative mental health services (ARMHS) and children’s therapeutic services and supports (CTSS). The author and testifier Mark Arnold said current rates are unsustainable, providers have struggled to hire and retain staff because wages have risen faster than reimbursement, and service hours have dropped sharply. Members asked how the increase would be used and about the fiscal impact; the author said the money would mainly support additional hiring and competitive wages. HF 3271, as amended, was laid over. The committee then took up House File 3372, adopting the Behavioral Health Division report and an A5 amendment. The bill was presented as a direct appropriation to the African American Child Wellness Institute to expand culturally specific mental health services for African-American children and families, add supervision and training services, and support workforce development. Testifiers, including Dr. Bravada Garrett Akinsanya, Tamika Ralston, and Al McFarland, described severe disparities in Black mental health access and outcomes, the importance of culturally competent care, and the institute’s role in training providers and reaching the community. Dr. Akinsanya also described the institute’s COVID-era outreach and counseling work and said it exceeded grant expectations. Representative Albright questioned why the bill used a direct appropriation rather than a competitive grant and asked about reporting metrics; Chair Moran responded that the institute’s trust, expertise, and community connection justified the direct funding. HF 3372, as amended, was laid over.