Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: In this Capitol press availability on the final Friday morning of the 2024 Minnesota legislative session, the Senate leader said lawmakers were entering the last weekend with most conference committees nearly complete and expected to finish by midnight Sunday. She highlighted a broad end-of-session package that included paid family and medical leave, the Tyler forfeiture settlement, and other remaining bills, and said the caucus was focused on finishing work for Minnesotans despite a compressed timeline. A major topic was the Equal Rights Amendment (ERRA). She said the Senate was waiting to see what the House would pass before deciding whether to support it, describing the proposal as a modern, stronger version reflecting Minnesota values. She rejected the idea that religion language needed to be restored and said the caucus would decide after the House acted. She also said sports betting, cannabis, and permit reform were still in shape to move, but time was limited and Republicans were using filibuster tactics to slow progress. She said the Senate would take up the Tyler settlement, tenants’ rights, and the African-American Family Preservation Act, and that Uber and Lyft legislation remained a priority as a statewide framework was being negotiated with the House, the administration, drivers, and companies. On sports betting, she said a bipartisan working group continued to negotiate, including a prohibition on historic horse racing. She added that the bonding bill was not dead and that talks with Republicans would continue later that day. Asked about procedure and chamber management, she said the Senate has tools such as the previous question to cut off debate if needed, but preferred to allow full debate and normal governing. She also briefly addressed a reported confrontation in the chamber, saying she was not present but understood Senator Champion used the gavel and his voice to calm members after a flash of anger.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The African American Family Preservation Act conference committee met to reconcile House and Senate versions of the bill, with members emphasizing the bill’s purpose of helping children remain with their families and addressing disproportionate impacts on African American families and other affected communities. The chairs and members noted the long history of work on the issue and introduced committee staff and analysts before reviewing the remaining differences between the chambers’ language. The committee discussed provisions on termination of parental rights, relative placement, and cultural competence. Members said the Senate had adopted House language on the termination exceptions, and that a citation was added to clarify the relative placement section and how it should be applied through the bill’s cultural competence lens. They also reviewed implementation timing, moving the phase-in start from July 2024 to January 2025 and full statewide implementation to January 2027, with no penalties for counties as they phase in and with an emphasis on support for smaller counties. A working group was described as starting immediately and including representatives from Hennepin and Ramsey counties, the Association of Minnesota Counties, the Minnesota Association of County Social Workers, the Minnesota County Attorneys Association, the Minnesota Inter-County Association, DHS, and a community organization. The group would produce an interim report due January 1, 2026 and a final report due September 2026 to help guide statewide rollout and possible statutory or policy changes. Members also discussed the fiscal note and said the Senate’s revenue figure, rather than the House’s $5 million figure, would be used in the bill; the base funding discussed was $3.11 million going forward, though members noted additional needs may arise as more counties come online. The committee then voted to adopt the conference committee file, and the motion prevailed. It also adopted a motion directing staff to prepare the conference committee report with the agreed-upon provisions and any necessary technical changes, and then adjourned.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, roll call, and approval of the previous day’s journal. Committee reports were adopted, Senate File 2219 was read for a second time, and House Files 5475 through 5478 were introduced and given first reading. The chamber then received Senate messages on two bills with disagreements between the houses. For House File 5216, relating to state government and the judiciary/public safety/corrections budget, Representative Muller moved that the House refuse to concur with Senate amendments and request a five-member conference committee; the motion prevailed. For Senate File 716, relating to human services and the Minnesota African-American Family Preservation and Child Welfare Act, Representative Hollins moved that the House accede to the Senate’s request for a three-member conference committee; that motion also prevailed. The Speaker announced House conferees for HF 5216 and a membership change on the conference committee for HF 4699, replacing Pinto with Pryor. A point of personal privilege recognized former Speaker Kurt Daudt in the chamber. The remainder of the session focused on parliamentary concerns raised by members about debate, voting access, and the Speaker’s authority during the prior night’s proceedings, with the presiding officer stating that House rules, customs, Mason’s, and limits on dilatory motions would be enforced. Representative Long then renewed a motion to recess to the call of the Speaker, noting that rules would meet immediately and that the House planned to take up the Equal Rights Amendment, followed by committee reports and several conference committee reports. The motion to recess prevailed, and the House stood in recess.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House took up conference committee reports on several bills, beginning with Senate File 4097, the commerce policy bill. Representative Stevenson urged adoption, highlighting provisions that would ban vapor products designed to look like other items and make it easier for consumers to cancel subscriptions. Representative New Brindley opposed the report, arguing it still contained problematic insurance and medical debt language, but the conference report was adopted on a 70-58 vote and the bill was repassed as amended by conference. The chamber then considered House File 2609, a public safety bill on gun trafficking investigations and firearm seizures. Representative Berg explained that the conference report made changes to binary trigger language to align with law enforcement input and added an affirmative defense for people who transferred a firearm to a prohibited person under duress from domestic violence. Several members objected, saying the report had been watered down, that the affirmative defense could be abused, and that a prior amendment increasing penalties for straw buyers who used firearms against police or first responders had been removed. Supporters of the refusal motion argued the bill no longer did enough to address gun crime, while Berg defended the compromise and noted the domestic violence provision. The debate continued with criticism that the bill would make it easier for offenders to avoid accountability and concern that it did not adequately protect law enforcement.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Senate took up a House message on House File 5237, the education finance conference committee report, and moved to adopt the report and repass the bill as amended. Senators described the bill as a supplemental funding package for pre-K through grade 12 education, including about $43 million in education-related funding, much of it for REA Act investments, along with changes to a student attendance pilot, paid student teaching stipends, teacher-of-color scholarships, a state school librarian provision, a new absenteeism data position at MDE, and an MDE inspector general with subpoena authority. Senators also said the bill included a Children and Families target with items such as Summer EBT, food bank and shelter funding, SNAP access for college students, SSIS system funding, child welfare reforms, child care provider training and grants, and emergency shelter support. Senators Wickland and Kunesh defended the inclusion of the Children and Families provisions as germane because they came from a separate House Children and Families committee jurisdiction and had been packaged into the education conference report after the budget work was completed. Opponents, including Senators Rasmusson, Cinderbar, Eric, Pratt, and Luc, argued the report contained non-germane Health and Human Services material that had not been heard in the Senate education committee and should not be in the education bill. Rasmusson raised a formal point of order under Joint Rule 2.06, and the presiding officer put the question to the body after citing Mason’s and Senate rules. The debate centered on whether the conference report violated germaneness rules. Supporters of the point of order said the report mixed two different jurisdictions and that the HHS provisions were not properly part of the education bill. Supporters of the bill argued the issues were interconnected and that the Senate’s committee structure required combining related child and family policy items with education finance. The transcript ends during the point-of-order debate and does not include the final roll-call result or final disposition of the bill.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House took Senate File 37 off the table and began debate on a proposed Minnesota constitutional amendment on equality under the law. The bill would add protected classes to the state constitution, including race, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, sex, pregnancy-related decisions, gender identity or expression, and sexual orientation. The author and supporters argued that constitutional protections are needed because statutes and case law can be narrowed over time, and that the amendment would better protect marginalized groups from discrimination. Republicans offered and debated the A19 amendment, which would replace the bill’s specific list of protected classes with a broader equal-protection clause. Supporters said the change would guarantee equal rights for all, provide clarity about who is covered, and limit the amendment’s reach to state actors and political subdivisions rather than private businesses, nonprofits, or other entities receiving public funds. Opponents argued the underlying bill already protects all Minnesotans, that civil rights are not zero-sum, and that the specific language is necessary to protect groups that have historically faced discrimination. Much of the floor discussion focused on whether the proposal would exclude or diminish protections for religious people or faith-based organizations. Several members on both sides said religion is already protected under the Minnesota Constitution and that the amendment would not remove those protections. Others argued the underlying language was vague about state actors and could affect private entities. Members also framed the debate around broader themes of equality, reproductive rights, and whether the ballot question should present a general equal-rights clause or the specific protections in the bill. The transcript does not include the final vote on the A19 amendment or final disposition of the bill beyond the motion to take it from the table.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House took up Senate File 37, a proposed constitutional amendment on equality under the law. The bill would add protected classes to the Minnesota Constitution, including race, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, and pregnancy-related decisions. The author and supporters argued the amendment was needed to lock in protections against discrimination and prevent rights from being narrowed by courts or changing political conditions. Members then debated the Dth A19 amendment, which would replace the bill’s specific protected-class language with a broader equal protection clause applying to state and local government actions. Supporters said it would guarantee equal rights for all Minnesotans and avoid creating a hierarchy of protections. Opponents argued the underlying bill was necessary to explicitly protect marginalized groups, and several members raised concerns about ambiguity, especially whether nonprofits, businesses, or other entities receiving state funds could be treated as state actors. The debate also focused on religious freedom and whether the proposal would exclude people of faith. Several members said religion remained protected in the constitution and that the amendment would not remove those protections. Others argued the bill was vague and could affect religious institutions or other private entities. A roll call was requested on the Dth amendment after 15 hands were seen, but the transcript provided does not include the final vote result. Earlier in the meeting, the House also adopted a motion to take Cile number 37 from the table, and the clerk reported committee actions placing Senate File 2219 and House Files 5162 and 5220 on the calendar for Saturday, May 18, 2024.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The House took up the conference committee report on House File 5237, the education finance and policy bill, which also incorporated provisions from the Children and Families budget. Supporters said the report largely preserved the House-passed bill while adding Senate provisions and technical fixes. They highlighted funding for the READ Act and teacher training, paid student teaching pilots, attendance pilot programs, P-TECH, an Aspiring Teachers of Color scholarship, a St. Cloud EMS facility, a teacher compensation working group, a state school librarian, permanent school funds work, Indigenous education needs assessment language, and a website/public library notice option for districts when a newspaper of record closes. They also noted some money shifts and reductions, including adjustments to homelessness, food banks, and other grants, plus technical changes from MDE and DHS. Chair Pinto described the children and families additions as strengthening child protection, food insecurity, homelessness, child care, and early learning, and said the bill included the Minnesota Indian Family Preservation Act, protections for parents with disabilities, and an out-of-home placement plan requirement. He said the final package was better than the bill as it left the House. Several members spoke in favor of specific pieces, including attendance work and student teacher support, but others argued the bill relied too much on mandates, bureaucracy, and outside reviews rather than local control and classroom funding. Critics focused especially on the READ Act funding split, statewide health standards, the state librarian position, nonprofit grants, and what they described as growth in state agencies at the expense of school districts. Representative Nelson moved to refuse to adopt the conference committee report, but that motion failed on a roll call, 58 ayes to 69 nays. The body then proceeded to the motion to adopt the conference committee report. Additional members continued debate, with some praising the bill’s provisions and others urging a no vote and asking that it be sent back to committee.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The conference committee on Senate File 5335 met on May 16, 2024, and began with a staff walkthrough of the human services finance spreadsheet comparing Senate and House positions. Staff reviewed the bill’s overall target and then highlighted a long list of provisions affecting human services, disability services, behavioral health, nursing facilities, opioid-related funding, waiver programs, pilot projects, and technical changes. Items discussed included the 1115 waiver and bridging benefits, opioid manufacturer/distributor fees, a contingency account, SUD provider rate increases, parental fee elimination in certain mental health settings, community residential licensing and EVV-related provisions, disability services studies and grants, nursing facility rate adjustments, food security grants, mobile crisis expansion, a guardianship task force, corrections re-entry waiver funding, and a $5 million appropriation for the Cedar Riverside Recreation Center. The spreadsheet also included several reductions and cancellations, such as grant underspends, HCBS FMAP-related cancellations, and a $10 million reduction in the transfer to the Minnesota Forward Fund. Members then asked questions about several reductions, especially items that appeared in the conference report but not in either original bill. Senator Abeler asked about the repeal of residential setting transition grants at line 478, the reduction in traditional background studies at line 501, and the HCBS provider capacity grant cancellation at line 509. Department of Human Services budget director Elise Bailey explained that some items were one-time grants or unspent appropriations, that line 478 was a one-time grant from the prior year being repealed and reappropriated for a similar purpose, and that line 485 was the related reappropriation. She said the traditional PCA background studies funds had been appropriated in the tails and had not yet launched, so the bill was reallocating those dollars to balance the budget. On the HCBS FMAP items, she said the federal program was ending, the state was near the spending deadline, and the remaining dollars were unlikely to be spent by June 30. Additional discussion covered the sales grants reduction, with Bailey saying the program had a long history of underspending and that the reduction would not affect service access statewide. She also explained that the HCBS FMAP provider capacity grant and related transition grant were part of a larger federal initiative with many projects, and the remaining balances were being canceled because they would likely not be spent in time. The committee did not take a recorded vote during the excerpted discussion, and the meeting ended with staff and members continuing to review the spreadsheet and ask clarifying questions about the conference report items.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The Conference Committee on House File 5216 met on May 17, 2024, with a quorum present to discuss the Judiciary and Public Safety and Corrections supplemental budget bill. Members and staff introduced themselves, and the chairs expressed support for the combined bill. Nonpartisan staff then walked through the spreadsheet and Article 1, describing major appropriations and structural changes, including funding for the Supreme Court, district courts, public safety, corrections, and related initiatives. Key budget items included safe and secure courthouse grants, cybersecurity funding, expanded access for forensic examiners and court interpreters, juror deficit funding, trauma services, domestic violence and firearms and traffic-stop task forces, crime victim services grants, digital GIS school mapping funded through the E-911 account, a Department of Corrections operating deficiency, creation of an independent Clemency Review Commission, a task force on illicit drug use, and the establishment of an independent Board of Civil Legal Aid. Staff also highlighted policy provisions such as disaster assistance contingency account transfers, extensions for Ramsey County youth treatment homes, and implementation language for several grant programs. Staff then summarized the public safety-related articles, covering victim rights, law enforcement practices, criminal justice reforms, predatory offender registration, corrections policies, civil legal aid, judicial privacy, public defenders, civil law, contracts for deed, state government data privacy and cybersecurity reporting, and the Uniform Public Expression Protection Act. During amendment action, the committee adopted the A33 amendment, which adjusted GIS mapping language, removed catalytic converter provisions, and made a parole-board-related change; the A22 amendment, a technical citation fix; the A21 amendment, reflecting agreed language with the Board of Public Defense and Teamsters; and the A24 amendment, which extended timelines for Youth Support Services grants, related reporting deadlines, and a corrections report due date. The transcript ends as the committee was proceeding to the A19 amendment.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Senate met under call, established a quorum, and proceeded with routine opening business including prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the roll call. The chamber received several House messages reporting adoption of conference committee reports and repassage of Senate File 4399 (human services), Senate File 4579 (energy/shared meter utility service in residential buildings), Senate File 3567 (education), and Senate File 3852 (labor/Department of Labor and Industry technical and policy changes). The Senate then adopted the printed committee reports, gave Senate File 3886 a second reading, gave House File 5363 a second reading, and referred Senate Resolution 103 to the Committee on Rules. The main substantive debate centered on Senate File 3492, a housing bill returned from conference committee. Senator Muhammad explained that the conference report kept the Senate’s core language but accepted several House provisions, including a duty to mitigate when a tenant abandons a unit, an expanded covenant of habitability covering common areas and infestations/emergencies, limits on denying rental applications based on pending evictions or expunged/nonpublic records, and tenant screening updates requiring verification of court-file status within 24 hours before a report is issued. The bill also included a civil cause of action allowing tenants to recover up to $8,000 plus attorney fees and other relief. Senator Lucero moved to reject the conference report and send the bill back to conference, arguing the added provisions would increase risk, costs, and uncertainty for housing providers, especially smaller “mom-and-pop” landlords. Other senators echoed concerns that the bill would add red tape and could hurt housing supply. Supporters of the report said the bill was intended to create clearer and fairer rules for both tenants and landlords. After extended debate, the motion to reject failed on a roll call vote of 31 ayes to 35 noes, and the Senate then proceeded to the underlying motion to adopt the conference committee report.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The conference committee met to finalize the Agriculture, Commerce, and Energy agreement, first reviewing the energy and utilities supplemental budget and the Minnesota Energy and Infrastructure Permitting Act language. Staff walked through appropriations for thermal energy networks, solar app programming, grid-enhancing technologies, interconnection standards and ombudsperson staffing, geothermal and anaerobic digester projects, ultra-efficient vehicle grants, and a carbon pipeline study. The permitting provisions would shift environmental review duties from Commerce to the Public Utilities Commission, streamline siting and route-permit procedures, address transmission line and power plant permitting, and set a July 1, 2025 transfer date for duties. The committee also reviewed the A63 and A73 amendments, which added or revised items such as groundwater thermal exchange systems, a ten-year extension of the Solar Rewards program, carbon dioxide pipeline study language, and technical changes to permitting and environmental review. After questions, the committee adopted the energy agreement as described, with the A59 amendment removed from the motion. The committee then turned to the agriculture side and reviewed the spreadsheet and delete-everything amendment for the agriculture agreement. The appropriations included funding for soil health equipment grants, pollinator research, nitrate treatment and contaminated well mitigation, crop and fence damage reporting, farm-to-school support, dairy and other program reappropriations, avian influenza livestock protection grants, meat processing education grants, wild rice natural stands and wild rice forage selection, beginning farmer equipment grants, and a carbon market report. Staff also described non-general-fund items, including a five-year extension of AFRE, federal digital equity authority, Spanish translation of applicator tests, and transfers to pollinator research. The bill language also expanded farm-to-school eligibility to child care providers, changed down payment assistance preferences, prioritized soil health grants for farmers in the Ag Water Quality Certification Program, expanded AFRE eligible projects and council membership, and made technical grain storage and stray animal changes. The agriculture agreement was presented as matching the jurisdiction’s general fund target, and the committee was told the motion would adopt the agreement in a single package.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The conference committee on jobs and economic development met to review and finalize a compromise bill. DEED Commissioner Matt Varick testified that the agreement includes valuable investments and policy changes to help workers, businesses, and communities, including workforce entry, business expansion, dislocated worker eligibility, energy transition advisory committee inclusivity, the innovative business development public infrastructure program, and forward fund revisions. Committee members and staff then walked through the spreadsheet of agreed-upon appropriations and policy items, including funding for community organizations, workforce training, entrepreneurship, film and tourism, nursing equity, and various local projects, along with several cancellations, reappropriations, and transfers. The fiscal summary noted a $1 million general fund impact in FY 2024-25 and a $4 million general fund savings in FY 2026-27, plus one-time workforce development and special revenue fund adjustments. Members adopted oral corrections to the spreadsheet, including changing one line item from the South Sudan Foundation to the Center for Community Resources, and correcting a Film North reference. The spreadsheet was then adopted. The committee also adopted the A6 amendment, which set interest rates for certain small business and entrepreneur loan programs at Wall Street Journal prime plus 2%, capped at 10%, and added cosmetology and hair technician licensure language and a notice of expiration for certain trade licenses. An oral amendment changed effective dates from 2024 to 2025 in two places, and the A16 amendment was adopted; it adjusted a forward fund appropriation, set an effective date for the H-2A unemployment provision, modified the Shakopee Workforce scholarship program, increased transfer authority between the job creation fund and Minnesota investment fund, and removed a requirement to reopen Emerging Entrepreneur Program applications every two years. The committee then adopted a comparison table covering remaining provisions, including House and Senate language on H-2A workers, community violence prevention, the University of Minnesota Center for Nursing Equity and Excellence, the Shakopee scholarship program, small business assistance and expanding opportunity programs, the Emerging Entrepreneur Program, federal conformity and independent living services, and a House provision for Brooklyn Park’s biotech innovation district. Some Senate-only Public Facilities Authority grant increases were left without action. Finally, the committee approved a motion directing staff to prepare the conference report, using the spreadsheet to resolve ambiguities and make technical corrections. Members from both chambers offered closing remarks praising the bipartisan work and noting support for Greater Minnesota, nursing workforce needs, entrepreneurship funding, and other local investments.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Summary: The Senate first cleared procedural matters, including ending a call of the Senate, receiving House messages, and appointing a conference committee on House File 5216. The chamber also designated special orders and took up House File 5246, which was described as a state finance bill establishing a tax forfeited land settlement account. A motion was adopted to strike a Rules and Administration amendment to the bill before proceeding to third reading. During debate on House File 5246, senators explained that the bill responds to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Tyler v. Hennepin County decision and the resulting settlement. Supporters said the measure appropriates $109 million to fund settlement payments and helps counties participate in the settlement by requiring cooperation on records, sale procedures, and reporting. Several senators emphasized that the bill addresses a state-law problem affecting counties and property owners, and that a separate policy bill is still needed to change the underlying tax forfeiture law. Senators also discussed the practical burdens of tax forfeited properties on counties, including cleanup and demolition costs, and argued that the settlement would prevent local taxpayers from bearing the liability. One senator questioned why the bill did not also include the policy fix, and was told that a separate bill was being worked on. House File 5246 then passed on a 66-0 roll call, with its title agreed to. The Senate afterward adopted a recess motion and recessed until the call of the President.

Keywords: 1183, house

Summary: The Rules Committee met with a quorum present and first approved the minutes from Wednesday, May 15, by voice vote. Members then considered the calendar for Saturday, May 18, which proposed Senate File 2219, House File 5162, and House File 5220. The chair explained that the Senate File 2219 item related to historic horse racing language that had moved through committee, and noted that file numbers may not match because of the rapid pace of session changes. Representative Re asked about the differences between the bill versions and about why two bonding bills were included on the calendar. The chair responded that the horse racing provisions were part of the sports bill and that the committee had already discussed the language. On the bonding bills, the chair said leadership negotiations were still ongoing and that the committee did not expect to take up a bill before an agreement was reached, but the calendar needed to be set in advance so the bills could be available. The committee then approved the calendar for the day by voice vote, with one no vote recorded, and adjourned.