Keywords: 1183, house

Keywords: 1183, house

Keywords: 1183, house

Keywords: 1183, house

Keywords: 1183, house

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee first approved the March 18, 2022 minutes and then heard a presentation from the Network for the Development of Children of African Descent on its Sankofa reading program and related Parent Power workshops. The presenters described a culturally specific, African-centered literacy model that connects reading to identity, family history, community legacy, and school success. They said the program uses culturally matched tutors, individual learning plans, and assessments focused on strengths, and reported gains including average reading-level increases, improved skills, stronger family outcomes, and sustained progress in a five-year University of Minnesota evaluation. Members asked about reading lists, statewide expansion, and costs; the presenters said the program serves about 200 students annually, is free to families, and is funded through grants, contracts, and donations, with interest in expanding training statewide. The committee then received the Minnesota Department of Education’s presentation on the Bold Literacy Initiative, a birth-through-grade-12 framework based on the science of reading. MDE outlined proposals for regional science-of-reading academies, stronger data systems to track literacy and dyslexia screening, support for family and community literacy efforts, revisions to Read Well by Third Grade requirements, and expanded literacy aid for districts. The department said the plan would help districts identify students needing support earlier, improve reporting and decision-making, and align teacher preparation and licensure with science-of-reading expectations. Members asked how the plan would support high school literacy and whether the Read Well statute’s title or language would change; MDE said the effort is intended to support literacy across K-12 and that no title change was necessarily being proposed at that time.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: Governor Walz briefed reporters after meeting with legislative leaders on several session priorities, including replenishing the unemployment insurance trust fund, providing front-line worker “hero pay,” a bonding bill, reinsurance, and paid family and medical leave. He said the talks were cordial and more productive than before, with more goodwill and some offers and counteroffers being discussed, though he acknowledged there was still little formal movement on paper. Walz emphasized that the state’s financial position remains strong and said the remaining budget room leaves other priorities in play after UI and front-line worker issues are addressed. On unemployment insurance, Walz said businesses were already beginning to pay the taxes and that the administration still believed its numbers and dates were correct, though unwinding any payments later would be complicated. He reiterated his preference to resolve the issue before deadlines so employers would not face uncertainty. He also said reinsurance was discussed as a possible tool to reduce health care costs, even though he has criticized it as an imperfect approach. Walz said there was encouraging movement on paid family and medical leave after Republicans introduced a proposal based on private products and tax credits. He described that as a positive step and said he was willing to review it and look for common ground, while noting it may or may not prove workable. He also said Republican leaders indicated the previously discussed $250 front-line worker payment was still on the table, though the details and whether it would be enough remained unresolved. No votes were taken, and no formal agreement was announced.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee heard Senate File 4020, authored by Senator Weber, which would authorize acreage and other real property interests needed for Murray County’s CSAH 13 road improvement project near Lake Chapeau and Kili Island. Weber and county engineer Randy Groves described the road as a dangerous, flood-prone corridor with very narrow shoulders, heavy summer traffic, pedestrians sharing the roadway, and repeated flooding in 2018 and other years. Groves said the project would raise and reconstruct the road, add two 12-foot lanes, four-foot shoulders, and shared-use paths, while minimizing lake fill; he estimated the work would affect just under two acres of lake. DNR Commissioner Bob Meyers said the department has been working with the county but raised concerns about the bill’s language, including permitting and reporting provisions, and about public water, wetland, habitat, and erosion impacts. Some members questioned the precedent of bypassing normal agency processes, while Weber argued the bill was needed because local officials lacked confidence the DNR had adequately addressed the project. The committee adopted a technical amendment and then recommended SF 4020, as amended, to pass and referred it to the Environment Finance Committee. The committee then took up Senate File 2797, a bill by Senator Bakk intended to add transparency to Minnesota’s environmental permitting process for large industrial projects. Bakk said the bill would not change environmental review standards, but would create a public dashboard showing what permits are needed, what reviews are underway, and expected timelines, because current permitting can be slow and unclear. He said project proposers already pay for the environmental review process and that the state should provide more certainty. Testifying in support, Jason George of Operating Engineers Local 49 said the current process is too slow and unpredictable, citing projects that have been approved, delayed by lawsuits, or stalled for years, and argued that certainty is needed for investment and jobs, especially in mining. The bill was presented for discussion, but no vote or final action on SF 2797 was taken in the portion of the meeting provided.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee met on March 21, 2022, and first took up Senate File 3096, a funding request for the Egg Innovation Campus in Crookston. Senator Johnson explained that the bill would add $2 million to help complete phase one of the project after COVID-related supply chain and construction cost increases, and an A1 amendment was adopted to change the funding source from federal state fiscal recovery dollars to the general fund. Testimony from the campus representative said the project is progressing but is short of what is needed to finish phase one, that all of the original $5 million has already been invested, and that private funding and bank loans are also being used. Members asked about the total project cost, the amount already spent, whether more money might be requested later, and what would happen without the additional funding; the witness said the project would likely slow or go into a quiet mode and that the $2 million would be paired with bank financing and private dollars to complete the build. The committee laid the bill over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill. The committee then moved to Senate File 4019, the governor’s supplemental agriculture budget proposal, introduced as a courtesy for review. Commissioner Peterson said the proposal totaled about $59 million and reflected ideas gathered from Minnesotans and agricultural groups, with a focus on helping the state’s food and agriculture system recover from the pandemic. He highlighted several items, including $1 million for noxious weed grants, $5 million to start a grain indemnity fund, support for meat and poultry inspection, Forever Green funding, a soil health assistance program, farm safety grants, $1.5 million for farmers markets, and a small grants program for crop growers. Peterson also discussed the grain indemnity issue in detail, citing recent grain buyer failures and the Pipeline Foods case, where $5.5 million in claims were filed against a $500,000 bond. He said Minnesota farmers do not have the same level of protection as in some other states and argued the state should address the gap. Later portions of his presentation covered additional proposals for meat and poultry processing grants, grocery and corner store modernization, co-packing and cold storage, farm business management, planning grants for local governments and tribal governments, and culturally appropriate services for emerging farmers. No votes were taken on the agriculture budget bill during the portion of the meeting provided.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee met to hear Senate File 3885, a bill by Senator Coleman to expand access to paid family leave through a private insurance product for employers, especially small businesses. Before testimony, the committee adopted the A-2 amendment, which removed the bill’s tax portion for later consideration in the tax committee. Senator Coleman said the bill would let businesses customize leave coverage and use insurance to make paid leave more affordable and available more quickly than a statewide program. Supporters included NFIB, the Minnesota Insurance and Financial Services Council, insurance agents, and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. They argued the bill would create flexible, market-based leave options without new mandates or taxes, help small employers compete for workers, and use existing insurance infrastructure to administer benefits, compliance, and claims. Several supporters said the approach could preserve existing benefits and provide a voluntary option for employers that cannot self-finance leave. Opponents, including Children’s Defense Fund Minnesota, Gender Justice, a small business owner, and a clergy leader, argued the bill would create a patchwork system that could exclude lower-wage workers, part-time workers, women, pregnant people, older workers, and people with pre-existing conditions. They said private insurance would likely be more expensive and less equitable than a statewide social insurance model, and repeatedly urged support for Senate File 1205 instead. Members asked about coverage gaps, whether the bill included medical leave for employees themselves, and the cost of private plans versus statewide programs; Senator Coleman said the bill was meant to be broad and customizable, while other senators noted that statewide programs can be cheaper and more inclusive. No final vote on the bill was recorded in the excerpt.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The committee first heard Senate File 3356, authored by Senator Koran, which would create a public website through the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission and the judicial branch to make judge sentencing information easier for voters to access. The author said the bill was about transparency and accountability, arguing that constituents should be able to search judges’ sentencing patterns, including probation, prison time, departures, and related outcomes, without having to dig through courthouse records. Opponents and skeptics questioned the need for a new statewide database, noting that much of the information is already available through existing public records and the Minnesota Court Information System (MCIS/MINCIS), and asked for examples of denied access or specific problems. Supporters responded that the issue was ease of use and consolidation for ordinary voters. The fiscal note was discussed as roughly $265,000 in FY 2023, $289,000 in FY 2024, and about $87,000 annually thereafter. The bill was laid over. The committee then took up Senate File 3752, authored by Senator Matthews, which would require the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission to record its meetings and make them available to the public. The author and Judge Michelle Larkin, speaking as a commissioner, said the bill would preserve the remote and hybrid access used during the pandemic and improve transparency, accessibility, and accountability. Larkin described increased public participation through online meetings, including remote testimony from people who otherwise could not travel to St. Paul, and said the public had shown strong interest in the commission’s work on sentencing reforms. A testifier also suggested amending the bill to require real-time hybrid access. Members generally supported the concept, with some noting the commission’s influence over sentencing policy and the importance of public oversight. The fiscal note was described as about $4,000 for camera and recording equipment, and the bill was laid over. Throughout the meeting, members repeatedly returned to the themes of public access, the availability of court and sentencing data, and whether the proposed changes were necessary given existing systems. Some members argued the bills would help ordinary citizens make informed decisions about judges and commission actions, while others said the information was already publicly available and questioned the cost and motivation behind the proposals. No votes were taken beyond laying both bills over for possible further consideration.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: Senator Julia Coleman and Representative Jordan Rasmussen presented a proposal to expand access to paid family leave in Minnesota through a private-market insurance product that employers could purchase for employees, paired with tax credits for small businesses. Coleman framed the bill as a way to help workers who need time off for childbirth recovery, bonding with a newborn, caring for a sick child, or supporting an aging parent, while also helping small employers compete with larger firms that already offer paid leave. She said short-term disability is not enough because it mainly covers physical recovery from childbirth and does not address broader family-care needs. Rasmussen contrasted the proposal with the DFL’s paid leave plan, arguing the DFL approach would require a large payroll tax increase, a new state-run bureaucracy, and a one-size-fits-all mandate that could disrupt existing private plans. He said their bill would instead leverage existing private insurance infrastructure, move faster, and avoid state involvement as an insurer. Both lawmakers emphasized that the proposal is intended to be flexible, with insurers and employers able to tailor coverage levels and premium arrangements to individual businesses. In response to questions, they said the tax credit amount is still being refined and would be sent through the taxes committee, with the current figure described as a starting point. They also said the bill would allow the Department of Commerce to approve these insurance products, that some insurers are already operating similar products in other states such as Virginia and New York, and that the benefit could potentially be available as soon as January of the next year. No votes were taken; the event was a press-style presentation and Q&A, and the speakers expressed hope for bipartisan support and further committee consideration.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The committee heard House File 3733, which would create a new community wealth building grant program at DEED to support shared ownership models such as worker cooperatives, employee ownership conversions, and commercial land trusts. The bill author moved that the bill be laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill, and the committee later renewed and approved that motion to lay the bill over. Testifiers and the author described the proposal as a way to help entrepreneurs and business owners access financing and technical assistance, especially in communities facing barriers to traditional capital. Supportive testimony came from Elena Gorder of the Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers, who said shared ownership can help close racial wealth gaps, preserve local businesses, and address succession challenges for Minnesota’s many baby-boomer-owned businesses. She cited figures about the potential wealth gains from employee ownership and noted that many businesses lack succession plans. Makia Griffin of Rondo Community Land Trust testified that the bill would help preserve permanently affordable commercial space for BIPOC-owned businesses facing displacement from rising rents, pointing to the Rondo CLT’s mixed-use projects and long-term affordability model. Lisa Olsen of the Hub Bike Co-op also supported the bill, describing how cooperative ownership has allowed workers to share responsibility, profits, and business ownership while serving the community. A committee member asked detailed questions about the financing structure, including origination fees, administration costs, and whether the program would revolve. Staff from MCCD explained that the bill would allow partner organizations to cover loan servicing, origination, and technical assistance costs, and that the program would function as a revolving loan fund with 50 percent of funds repaid to DEED and a base appropriation of $2 million every biennium to sustain it. The discussion emphasized that the program is intended to be both fiscally sustainable and a tool for expanding shared ownership opportunities statewide.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Senate convened with a quorum present, heard a prayer from former Senate chaplain Reverend Phil Shaw focused on guidance for senators, the COVID-19 pandemic, and an end to the war in Ukraine, and then proceeded to the day’s business. The chamber received House messages, including notice that the House had adopted Senate Concurrent Resolution 15 on session deadlines and had returned Senate File 2876, a health and human services bill, with amendments requesting concurrence. The Senate agreed to the House amendments and repassed SF 2876; senators noted the bill’s key remaining provisions involved an emergency staffing pool, while the House had also made changes related to fee waivers and child care repayment language. Final passage of SF 2876 succeeded by a vote of 65-1, with the title agreed to. The Senate then adopted committee reports, gave second reading to several Senate files and House File 3249, and handled motions and resolutions, including withdrawing Senate File 3195 from committee and referring Senate Resolution 110 to Rules and Administration. The body also designated House File 2875 as a special order for immediate consideration. That bill, described as a cleanup measure for the Prairie Island Indian Community’s net zero project, extended a reporting deadline and the project end date without changing funding, which remained at $30.2 million. Senators Goggin and Frentz urged support, emphasizing the project’s importance and the need to correct a drafting error and allow more time for completion. House File 2875 passed on final passage by a vote of 66-0, and its title was agreed to. The Senate also announced that Senator Fateh would be excused from the session and then adjourned until Wednesday, March 23, at 12:15 p.m.