Week 12 – Midnight Deadline Looms for Minnesota Legislature

The state House and Senate gavel into their respective floor sessions at 11 am today. They can pass bills until midnight this coming Sunday, and then the state’s constitution requires them to close all legislative activity. A ceremonial day of retirement speeches will take place one week from today, and we’re expecting more than three dozen such speeches. The question is, will there be any surprise retirement speeches at that point? Here’s a list of current legislators who have announced their retirement from office or announced they’re running for different offices.

As of this morning, legislative leaders have not announced any budget or policy compromises paving a pathway to a smooth end of this legislative biennium. Supplemental budget items, budget relief for HCMC, a Bonding Bill, fraud prevention and Health & Human Services program integrity are all in the mix.

Last week the House passed HF 3900 on a 133-0 vote! The Senate passed the bill 59-8, but they added an amendment that would require a 2/3 vote of future legislatures to amend the per pupil distribution method for these funds. That amendment needs to be ironed out before this legislative proposal can go to the Secretary of State to be certified and placed as a ballot measure for the November general election.

It will take a miracle to see any new “Compensatory Hold Harmless” revenue emerge from this process. The Senate is the only group with a positive position on this matter, offering a one-time $25 million infusion of funds. A handful of rank-and-file House members, on a bi-partisan basis, are trying to stir up conversations with their respective leaders about doing something for education, but so far, the effort seems to be falling on deaf ears.

Many thanks to Sen. Grant Hauschild for delivering again and getting this important levy reform into the Senate’s omnibus tax bill. If passed, the proposal would help reduce the levy burden on residential homes and commercial properties in districts with more than 15% of the property is classified as seasonal/recreational, if a voter approved operating levy is in place.

The House has not produced an omnibus tax bill from their committee process. A desire to extend and repurpose a Hennepin County sales tax to fund the Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) could pave the way for other Tax considerations.