Just three days remain before the Legislature must wrap up by midnight on Sunday. Lawmakers and Governor Dayton will work to try and reach consensus on a tax bill, funding for schools, a bonding bill and a supplemental budget bill, among other things. Conferees continue to work on the supplemental budget bill. Meanwhile conference committee chairs will meet with Governor’s staff to start sorting through provisions in the large supplemental budget bill as the Governor and legislative leaders work to reach agreement.
As the weekend progresses, we will continue to keep you updated of legislative activity.
Bonding Update
The Senate took up the bonding bill on the floor on Wednesday, but failed to pass it. A bonding bill needs a two-thirds majority vote to pass, but Senate DFLers did not vote for the bill.
Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul, unsuccessfully offered an amendment on the floor to spend more in the bonding bill, including additional funding for Minnesota State. The
amendment
would increase the current Senate position of $65 million for asset preservation to Minnesota State to $90 million, and would fund all the projects on the Board of Trustees’ list. Senate DFLers said the bonding bill did not do enough.
Author of the bill, Sen. David Senjem, R-Rochester, said he had to work within the framework of $825 million, and while he wishes he could fund all the projects, he was bound by the framework.
Since the bonding bill did not pass, lawmakers will work over the remaining three days to try and come up with a compromise on a bonding bill. Stay tuned.
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Schedule (the schedule will be fluid the remaining days of session)
Friday, May 18
9:00 a.m.
Senate in Session
SF 3290 (Lang): Biomass business compensation process establishment
HF3380 (Johnson): Self-service storage facilities provisions modification
HF3972 (Dahms): Omnibus liquor bill
HF2363 (Franzen): Revised uniform athlete agents act
10:00 a.m.
House in Session
SF3673 (Johnson, B.) Discharge from civil commitment provisions modified for persons committed as mentally ill and dangerous, sexually dangerous, or persons with a sexual psychopathic personality.
SF3297 (Mahoney) Saint Paul McCarron's treatment process improvements project design-build process authorization.
