Transcript Highlights:

• Megan Ariola, who will walk the committee through the bill section by section.
• Megan Ariola, who will walk the committee through the bill section by section.
• I will be doing a line-by-line, section-by-section walk-through of the bill in front of us.
• to section 5.
• established in the following sections. established in the following sections.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• It'll be all<00:13:48.600> after<00:13:49.040> section all after section all after section
• Uh that's in section one. Uh that's in section one.
• section eight. section eight.
• Section amendment strikes out section C. Section C<01:04:41.760> correct.
• Oh, no, it says new section. Well, if we cross out section one of the bill, just pass section two.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• All right, so we're voting on raising the elevator fee to $75 on section one and accepting section 137
• <01:06:46.680> 159 here okay so this would be section 159 here okay so this would be section
• So this one is Section 188.
• um Science and Tech is that this section um Science and Tech is that this section may<01:10:22.199
• right there's two different uh sections right there's two different uh sections here<01:16:07.960

Keywords: 928, house, all

Summary: The committee first discussed a proposed increase to the annual elevator certificate fee in the Department of Labor. The commissioner said the fee had been $50 for years and generated just under $300,000 annually, while the Inspection Division’s broader revenue far exceeded its expenses. Members noted the fee only covered the certificate, not the inspection itself, which is billed separately at $100 per hour. After comparing the fee to neighboring states and discussing the department’s revenue and staffing, the committee agreed to rewrite the language to set the fee at $75 and to vote on an amendment later. The committee then took up Section 139, which would expand the list of labor-law violations that can be penalized without first issuing a warning. The Department explained the change was meant to align House Bill 157 with other chapters, including youth employment and workers’ compensation provisions, where immediate civil penalties are already allowed. The section was accepted unanimously. A longer discussion followed on the Second Injury Fund. The commissioner explained that the fund reimburses insurers for certain workers’ compensation costs tied to claims involving pre-existing conditions, is financed by assessments on insurers, and requires notice within 100 weeks of injury plus a $10,000 deductible before reimbursement. He said the fund currently holds roughly $16 million to $22 million, one full-time employee administers it, and total staff involvement is about five to six people. Members questioned whether the fund should be sunset, but the department said the current House Bill 2 language does not propose a sunset; instead, it addresses increased hearing and litigation burdens after a recent Supreme Court decision. Sections 140 and 141, dealing with hearings, were then accepted unanimously. The committee also briefly discussed fines for late insurance coverage reporting, with the department noting the current rubric allows up to $50 per day but uses $112 per day, and members suggesting a lower amount.

Transcript Highlights:

• Move into section five of the bill.
• A bill for an act to create and enact a new section to Chapter 15.1-21.
• Article 11, Section 6 provides.
• So then you go down to Section 3, and that is just a cross-reference back to that definition.
• Madam President, Section 1 of Senate Bill 2198 passed the Senate on January 27th, 47 to 0.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Senate opened with prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a quorum call showing 46 members present. It then took up multiple House messages and amendments, appointing conference committees on several measures, including SB 2007, SCR 4007, SB 2374, SB 233, and House bills 1029, 1218, and 1022. The chamber also considered a series of House bills on the sixth and 14th orders, often adopting committee amendments before final passage or, in some cases, rejecting the bill outright. Among the major policy items, the Senate passed HB 1524 on regional planning council grants, HB 1143 increasing a food bank appropriation to $10 million, HB 1126 modernizing cosmetology licensing and inspections, HB 1542 making student applications for admission exempt records, HB 1613 regulating law enforcement use of robots, HB 1582 directing a study on false reports and accusations, HB 1214 revising school transportation funding, HB 1448 creating a study on advanced technologies, HB 1280 on drainage project voting rules, HB 1499 protecting records related to federal judges, and several Senate bills returned from the House, including SB 2221, SB 2117, SB 2198, SB 2120, and SB 2214. The Senate also adopted amendments to HB 1541 on septic systems before rejecting it on final passage. Several high-profile bills failed after debate. HB 1566, dealing with kratom regulation, saw an amendment to convert it to a study fail on a 21-25 vote, after which the chamber laid the bill over for one legislative day rather than take final action. HB 1283, which would have eliminated cost-sharing for diagnostic and supplemental breast exams in the state employee plan, was defeated 22-24 after extensive debate over cost, precedent, and insurance impacts. HB 1527, requiring Holocaust education in statute, also failed 22-24, with supporters emphasizing the importance of the subject and opponents arguing curriculum belongs in standards rather than statute. The Senate adjourned after announcements, scheduling its next meeting for Monday, April 14, 2025.

Transcript Highlights:

• Section three is new housing is new. Section three is new House language.
• Section 5 is the largest House amendment Section 5 is the largest House amendment and probably is the
• Section seven strengthens credit portability. Section seven strengthens credit portability.
• contemplated as Section 9.
• That was one section. The other... That was one section.

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• So the first one underneath Section 4 is dealing with Section 54-27-12, and that is regarding really
• The section 4 underneath is stating that notwithstanding subsection 7, a section 54.4.13, and that's
• Section 5 is dealing with Section 32-12-15, that's what I call the T's and C's law.
• Section 5 is dealing with Section 3212.215, that's what I call the T's and C's law.
• And Brady, were you going to go through Section 5 and Section 6? Yep, Mr. Chairman.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The Appropriations Division met in a work session on the draft Rural Health Transformation appropriations bill, 25.1392.01000, with no public testimony taken. Legislative Council and the Department of Health and Human Services walked through the bill, which would appropriate about $397.8 million in federal grant funds over two federal fiscal years, provide transfer authority, allow certain federal funds to be used for salaries and wages without counting against existing transfer limits, and authorize OMB to adjust other agencies’ spending authority if they receive grant awards through HHS. The bill also includes several temporary statutory exemptions to help implement the program, plus recipient acknowledgement/reporting requirements, periodic reports to Legislative Management, and an immediate effective date upon filing. Committee discussion focused heavily on how the federal rural health transformation money can be used and administered. Department officials explained that CMS will review projects for allowability and sustainability, that the state has flexibility to move funds among categories, and that the grant is limited to 10% administrative costs. Members asked about whether the funding could support renovations, equipment, ambulances, bulk purchasing, food distribution, and other rural health ideas, and were told many details will depend on CMS approval and the eventual applications. Questions also addressed cash flow, timing of obligations and reimbursements, FTE funding, and whether grant recipients should be told the program will not continue beyond the federal period; officials said the language is meant to prevent expectations of automatic continuation, not to bar future legislative action. The committee also discussed the bill’s use of a two-year appropriation amount, with staff explaining that the state must appropriate enough authority to cover the federal grant cycle and that unused authority would lapse if the full amount is not received or spent. Members raised concerns about whether the bill’s language could limit creativity or future program design, but department officials and several members emphasized the need for flexibility because CMS may reject overly specific directives. After discussion, the committee voted to recommend the bill draft to the full committee; the motion carried on a roll call vote, and the chair said the full Joint Appropriations Committee would take up the bill at the special session next week.

Transcript Highlights:

• Then<01:14:28.120> Section<01:14:28.960> 3 Then Section 3 Then Section 3 also<01:14:30.960
• In<01:14:52.800> Section<01:14:53.360> 4, In Section 4, In Section 4, this<01:14:54.920
• And then Section<01:16:46.080> 8 Section 8 has the enforcement section for those two sections
• Section 12.
• And currently that And Section 15, uh, so Sections 14, 15, And Section 15, uh, so Sections 14, 15, 16

Keywords: 1187, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Section 300 is a narrative.
• Section 300 is a narrative. have tables. Section 300 is a narrative.
• <02:24:00.640> Chairman<02:24:01.040> Bear, sections? Chairman Bear, sections?
• Without objection, section three is closed. Moving on to section four, State Treasurer.
• Without objection, section three is closed. Moving on to section four, State Treasurer.

Keywords: 916, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Um The applicability section is the next section, and this was amended by the House.
• The section on page 4729 is the consumer personal data right section.
• So, processors is the next section, and that section is generally what was passed by the Senate.
• Section two is one..."
• Uh, section four is another boilerplate. Uh, section four is another boilerplate.

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• We'll start with the violation section.
• If you go down on violation section.
• Right here—section two. Sorry, section Roman numeral two.
• Yes, it's in section three. proposed? Yes, it's in section three.
• Section Roman number two. three. Sorry. Section Roman number two.

Keywords: 1191, senate, all

Summary: The committee of conference spent most of its time on Senate Bill 96, which deals with educator conduct and when information may be withheld from parents. The main dispute was over the House-amended language on violations and the “compelling state interest” standard. The Senate sponsor objected to extending penalties to third-party medical or mental health contractors and to language suggesting psychological or emotional injury to a child would not constitute a compelling state interest. The House side argued its draft was intended to keep the bill focused on credentialed educators and administrators, to include parents or guardians, and to avoid creating competing standards by relying on existing abuse definitions in statute. The House also added a requirement that any withholding of information be documented and reported to the school board in nonpublic session, and both sides discussed whether educators, administrators, nurses, and guidance counselors would be covered under the statutory definition of educator. The discussion also covered enforcement and penalties. The House draft proposed that an educator found to have willfully violated the law could have a credential suspended for a first offense and would face a minimum one-year suspension for multiple offenses, while the Senate raised concerns that this was too rigid and did not allow enough discretion or address revocation. The House later explained that the department would still have discretion on first offenses and that the one-year rule applied only to multiple offenses. Another point of disagreement was a three-year statute of limitations for investigations, which the House said was meant to prevent “witch hunts,” while the Senate noted New Hampshire’s constitutional prohibition on retroactive laws. After caucusing, the Senate rejected the House amendment, and the House then voted non-concur; the committee of conference adjourned without agreement. The transcript then moved to Senate Bill 87, concerning one-day liquor license requirements and allowing salons and barber shops to obtain on-premise licenses. The members discussed a House amendment that would allow two drinks instead of one, with supporters saying the change reflected the longer time customers may spend in salons and that alcohol service would still be covered by existing training requirements, including the EDGE course. Opponents worried that allowing multiple drinks would create over-serving and enforcement problems and could complicate business practices. After discussion, the Senate member agreed to go along with the House position, and the bill was reported ready for final sign-off.

Transcript Highlights:

• So, new section three, amend RSA 55A by inserting after section 7 the following new sections. 155 A7.
• So,<00:44:39.280> new<00:44:39.599> section So, new section So, new section three,<00:44
• So, I'm in section section at a time.
• Section F, building inspection. Okay. Section F, building inspection.
• Section 202, approved agency, and add section 104A to read as follows.

Keywords: 1189, house, all

Transcript Highlights:

• Representative Murphy, which one, which section are you looking at? I'm in section 10.
• section 10.
• So this would be subsection two of Section 14.
• And this is just Section 5. And this is just Section 5. Is there any discussion? Mr.
• One is, it says Section 7 through 13, and then what was handed out, I sort of see Section 9, I see Section

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The committee took up Senate Bill 2025, the Veterans Home/Veterans Affairs budget, and worked through the long sheet line by line. Members discussed base payroll, salary and health insurance increases, FTE pool adjustments, IT rate increases, operating expenses, transportation grants, the PTSD service dog program, salary equity requests, temporary help/intern funding, a Veterans Benefit Specialist FTE, accrued leave, and several one-time or carryover items including the Fisher House, document scanning, and veterans medical transportation. The committee also reviewed proposed policy language that would shift governance authority for the Veterans Home and Department of Veterans Affairs from the Administrative Committee on Veterans Affairs to the governor, and would remove board authority over salary-setting and related hiring powers. A major portion of the meeting focused on clarifying the commissioner salary equity line and how the agency had shifted operating dollars to fund the commissioner’s current salary increase. After discussion with agency staff and Lonnie, the committee voted to remove the separate commissioner salary equity increase line and instead restore operating funding, ultimately setting the operating line at $50,000 above the prior amount rather than fully funding the executive request. The committee also approved funding for the Veterans Benefit Specialist FTE, approved a carryforward/exemption for accrued leave, approved authority to accept $200,000 in federal transportation grant funds, approved the $500,000 transfers related to veterans homelessness, and approved the exemption language for certain federal/state fiscal recovery funds after discussing whether the funds were properly obligated. On the governance amendment, members expressed concern about making a major policy change in an appropriations bill, but also frustration over the board’s salary actions. After debate, the committee adopted the amendment transferring governance authority to the governor by a 7-1 vote. The committee also approved a smaller amount for veteran service officer salary equity than requested, and rejected funding for temporary salaries and an intern. The chair then directed staff to prepare the amended bill for further action, with the committee planning to revisit it once the revised version was ready.

Transcript Highlights:

• And section seven is a repealer section.
• And section seven is a repealer section. Section six on page 21 is the cancellation that Mr.
• And section seven is a repealer section.
• Finally, section 47 contains section.
• Section 48 is a repealer. It's places. Section 48 is a repealer.

Keywords: 919, house, all

Summary: The committee took up House File 2312 and first adopted the DE1 amendment, after which the amended bill was discussed. Nonpartisan fiscal staff walked through the spreadsheet and explained the bill’s higher education budget changes, including increases for state grants and tribal college assistance, unchanged funding for several existing programs, and reductions or eliminations for items such as state work study, summer academic enrichment, student loan counseling, concurrent enrollment, and the student parent support initiative. Staff also noted transfers to special revenue funds, the cancellation and reappropriation of ALS research funding, and a new licensing/registration revenue item. The committee was told the bill met the committee’s zero target overall, with a net general fund change of zero relative to the February forecast, while also adding some non-general fund expenditures for program licensing and registration. Members asked several questions about the transfers and specific line items, including whether any new special revenue accounts were being created, the foster care wraparound services line, and the treatment of the University of Minnesota and Centric Care partnership. Staff explained that the transfers generally did not create new accounts, that some items were not in the base, and that the U of M/Centric Care partnership was a one-time appropriation in the prior bill but was now being built into the base at a different amount. The University of Minnesota section also included new or continued funding for medical school development, health training restoration, emergency assistance grants, ALS research, and a weather resiliency program, while the Mayo Foundation section eliminated funding for Mayo Medical School and the Mayo family medicine residency program. The policy portion of the DE1 was then introduced. It included a maximum tuition and fee amount for state grants, direct appropriation of emergency assistance grants to Minnesota State, a juvenile justice appropriation for Metropolitan State University, and the ALS research reappropriation to the University of Minnesota. It also contained repealers for unfunded programs, including a delayed repealer for the student parent support initiative. In the higher education policy article, the bill would allow Minnesota State to offer applied doctoral degrees in cybersecurity, make technical changes to hunger-free campus and sexual misconduct procedures, extend pregnant and parenting student protections to private institutions, allow OHE to retain up to 10% of certain competitive grants for administration, consolidate reports, change the state grant formula so negative FAFSA contributions count as zero, and reduce the state grant lifetime credit cap from 180 to 120 credits. The Northstar Promise provisions would limit tuition and fees to resident rates and require MnState, and request the University of Minnesota, to ensure eligible students receive the benefit.

Transcript Highlights:

• Section 2 remains the same, and Section 3 does as well.
• So what section that $1 million in Section Subsection 3 is in Section 1 is basically a placeholder.
• 2 and the study going in Section 3, the study in Section 3 will inform what that proper threshold should
• It mirrors Section 2 and puts that placeholder in place.
• On Section 3 in Scott, I'll have a lot... On Section 3, and Scott, I'll have language here for you.

Keywords: 908, all

Summary: The conference committee reconvened on House Bill 1218 and reviewed a revised LC draft combining Senate amendments with portions of House language. The discussion focused on a provision allowing the commission to forgo an economic analysis for assessment drain projects expected to cost less than $1 million, with members debating whether that threshold should remain at $1 million or be lower. Supporters said the $1 million figure is a placeholder tied to existing code and that a study would help determine the proper threshold; opponents argued the economic analysis should not be eliminated and raised concerns about cost estimates being manipulated. Department of Water Resources Director Rees Haas testified that roughly half of the projects fall under the $1 million mark, and additional project counts since 2019 were cited to show how many projects fell under $3 million, $2 million, and $1 million. Members also discussed the fact that the Water Commission had previously interpreted the threshold differently, which helped prompt the bill. One senator said the study portion was the strongest part of the bill, while another supported the sections that would align the language and preserve the study. Before the vote, the chair proposed further amendments to Section 3 to shift the study from the State Water Commission to Legislative Management and adjust related reporting language so the study would go through the legislature’s interim water committee process. The committee then voted on the combined amendment package, which passed 4-1, with one nay. The amended version was attached, and the committee adjourned with plans to reschedule another meeting and circulate the revised LC form.

Transcript Highlights:

• > definitions Section A adds various definitions Section A adds various definitions including<00:
• Section 204D was added.
• Section 204D was added.
• Section 105, powers and duties.
• <00:29:03.679> The Section 105, powers and duties. The Section 105, powers and duties.

Keywords: 926, house, all

Summary: The House opened with a devotional by Rep. Chris Keyser centered on Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken,” using the poem as a reflection on legislative choices, compromise, and service to the common good. After the devotional, the chamber took up a large slate of introductions, with 21 House bills read by number only after a successful motion to suspend the rules. The House also read HR12, a resolution supporting the principles behind Gov. Phil Scott’s statement regarding federal ICE and CBP activity in Minnesota, and placed it on the calendar for action the next legislative day. The House then concurred in JRS38, a joint Senate resolution setting weekend adjournment for January 30, 2026, to reconvene no later than February 3, 2026. During announcements, members recognized guests from Third Act Vermont, wished the member from Burlington a happy birthday, invited members to a Universal Health Care Caucus meeting, and promoted an evening Farmers Night performance. The House also voted to rescind journalization and expunge remarks previously entered by the member from Swanton from Friday’s House Journal. In orders of the day, the House rejected concurrence with the Senate’s further proposal of amendment to S.23, an act relating to the use of synthetic media in elections, and instead requested a committee of conference; the chair appointed Reps. Byron, Hango, and Waters Evans as conferees. The chamber then passed H532, relating to mandatory retirement of college professors. It also adopted the committee’s strike-all amendment to H270, relating to confidentiality for peer support counseling among emergency service providers, after favorable 11-0 committee action; the bill was then ordered to third reading. Finally, the House amended and ordered to third reading H516, approving amendments to the charter of the town of Essex, after discussion of charter changes including select board vacancies, moderator procedures, town appointments, accounting requirements, and related technical updates. The House then adjourned until January 29, 2026 at 3:30 p.m.

Transcript Highlights:

• In that same section two, the...
• Then section 4A is a new section that the House health care added and that allows for the Department
• Then section nine is a section on some cost that is to Medicare beneficiaries when they... is to Medicare
• Um, and then moving down to, in the same, uh, section, subd... ...down to, in the same, uh, section,
• by section?

Keywords: 927, senate, all

Transcript Highlights:

• <00:08:43.080> So, um appropriation section begins. So, um appropriation section begins.
• This new section never came issues.
• sections in the bill that are related to sections in the bill that are related to those<00:58:38.120>
• That first section that we amended with your previous amendment is not this section.
• It was a different section of the bill. This section right here...

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• I'll just go ahead and do a section-by-section breakdown of the bill.
• Section two is on efficiency, and there are a number of bullet points under this section that I'm going
• So that covers section two.
• four uh as on fees this frozen section four uh as on fees this section<00:42:47.520> modifies
• stick section stick section five<00:43:15.319> this<00:43:15.480> section<00:43:15.839

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• But it will be moving from the DHS section of it to its own section in the next biennium, but for now
• But it will be moving from the DHS section of it to its own section in the next biennium, but for now
• are sections 626.556 to 626.5573.
• These sections are sections 626.556 to 626.5573.
• These sections are sections 626.556 to 626.5573.

Keywords: 1183, house

Transcript Highlights:

• This is a new section into the statute. This is a new section into the statute.
• The section that brings us to Judiciary is section 10 specifically.
• Um section 10 extends overview.
• Um section 10 is federal programs.
• in section 8. in section 8.

Keywords: 1187, senate, all