The focus at the Capitol last week was on omnibus budget bills. The Senate combined all of their omnibus bills into one supplemental budget bill, which they passed off the Senate floor Thursday evening without any votes from DFL members. The House has been moving their budget bills more slowly, and bundling them for floor discussion. On Thursday last week, the House passed their first omnibus bill, which consisted of K-12 education and higher education. The House is taking up the omnibus tax bill and omnibus legacy finance bill on the floor today.
With the adjournment date for the 2018 Legislative Session set for three weeks from today, expect long floor sessions for both chambers and the beginning of negotiations between the Legislature and Governor Dayton as May 21 approaches.
Board of Regents
On Thursday afternoon this week, the House and Senate higher education committees will jointly convene to nominate a University of Minnesota Regent for the First Congressional District. The recommendation of the committees will then be considered by the full Legislature. The open position results from the recent resignation of retired Rochester physician Patricia Simmons from the Board. The process by which the candidates are vetted has been criticized by some, and several reforms of the Regent Candidate Advisory Council have been proposed this legislative session. The five candidates vying for the position are:
• Mary Davenport of Mankato
• Brooke Edwards of Rochester
• Jeanne Hankerson of Owatonna
• Randy Simonson of Worthington
• Wendy Shannon of Rochester
______________________________________________________________________
This Week at the Capitol
Monday, April 30
8:00 a.m.
House Job Growth and Energy Affordability Policy and Finance
Room: 10 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Pat Garofalo
Agenda: HF4118 (Miller): Process to compensate businesses for loss of business opportunity from sale and closure of biomass energy plant established
Note: Informational only
10:00 a.m.
House in Session
Calendar for the Day
HF4167 (Gunther): Omnibus Legacy Finance bill
HF4385 (Davids): Omnibus Tax bill
11:00 a.m.
Senate in Session
Special Orders:
H.F. 3280 (Eichorn) - Nullifies the existing wild rice water quality standard and requires that the MPCA start a new rulemaking process if the agency moves forward with its new standard. This bill passed the House.
S.F. 3182 (Westrom) - Aligns Minnesota MPCA fugitive emission standards with those of the EPA, saving farmers and plant operators hundreds of thousands of dollars in upgrades.
S.F. 2582 (Pratt) - Expands the current crime of unauthorized computer access by criminalizing interference with point-of-sale, ATM, and gas pump electronic terminals in order to collect information from credit, debit, or similar cards. This bill passed the House unanimously.
S.F. 3537 (Johnson) - Provides those performing custodial services at rest areas the ability to use the necessary chemicals to address small problems (such as weeds in a sidewalk or the presence of a beehive in a garbage can) without having to call MnDOT staff to address the issue.
H.F. 3224 (Senjem) - Makes two changes to statutes governing state-chartered credit unions. This bill passed the House unanimously.
H.F. 3622 (Dahms) - Clarifies that if an insurance company purchases one a reinsurance policy (to offload some of their risk portfolio and help the company remain solvent in the case of a major claim event), the purchasing insurer gets credit in their reserve calculations for their reinsurance policy and can reduce their reserves accordingly. This bill passed the House unanimously.
S.F. 3569 (Dahms) - Extends a temporary moratorium which would stop MnDOT from issuing or requiring permits to mow and hay in trunk highway ditches until April 30, 2019.
H.F. 2391 (Chamberlain) - Protects HSAs from being garnished in bankruptcies. This bill passed the House unanimously.
S.F. 2692 (Lang) - Increases awareness of state-sponsored life insurance products for National Guard soldiers.
H.F. 3551 (Relph) - Makes changes to the safe-at-home program, which allows participants who fear for their safety to maintain a confidential address with the Secretary of State. This bill passed the House unanimously.
3:00 p.m. or 15 minutes after session
Joint Meeting: Senate E-12 Finance and E-12 Policy
Room: 1150 Minnesota Senate Building
Chairs: Sen. Carla J. Nelson, Sen. Eric R. Pratt
Agenda: The Office of the Legislative Auditor Early Childhood Education Evaluation Report presentation
5:00 p.m.
Joint Meeting: Legislative Coordinating Commission
Room: 120 State Capitol
Chair: Rep. Kurt Daudt
Agenda: Consider amendments to the LCC Personnel Plan for Employee Benefits and Policies
Tuesday, May 1
8:30 a.m.
Senate Finance
Room: 1200 Minnesota Senate Building
Chair: Sen. Julie Rosen
Agenda: SF2991 (Weber): Real estate appraisal advisory board creation and duties prescribed (pending referral)
SF730 (Rosen): Opiate stewardship program, manufacturer registration fee, advisory council, and account establishment; prescription monitoring annual opiate registration fees and manufacturer license surcharge requirements; opiates quantity limit; appropriation.
S.F. 2897-Utke: (BILL ADDED) Step therapy protocol and override for prescription drug
coverage establishment.
8:30 a.m.
Senate Taxes
Room: 15 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Roger Chamberlain
Agenda: SF3982 (Chamberlain): Tax provisions modifications; appropriation
Thursday, May 3
4:30 p.m.
Joint Meeting: Senate Higher Education Finance and Policy; House Higher Education and Career Readiness Policy and Finance
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chairs: Sen. Michelle Fischbach and Rep. Bud Nornes
Agenda: Meeting to nominate a University of Minnesota Regent for the 1st Congressional District to the Joint Convention of the Legislature
