Contract ratification bill moving through Legislature
Governor Dayton signed the first contract ratification bill, Chapter 102, on March 27, 2018. This bill ratifies labor contracts and compensation plans for state employees, including AFSCME, MAPE, IFO, Administrators Plan, Middle Management Association (MMA), Commissioner’s Plan and the Managerial Plan. The contracts and plans are for the FY2018-2019 biennium and are effective retroactively to July 1, 2017.
The remaining contracts needed to be ratified by the full Legislature are MSCF and MSUAASF. The House Government Operations and Elections Policy Committee passed
HF 4888
yesterday morning, a bill that ratifies the MSCF and MSUAASF contracts. The bill will travel next to the State Government Finance Committee.
In other contract activity yesterday, the MSCF and MSUAASF contract ratification language was amended into
SF 3062
on the Senate floor and passed by a vote of 55-0. The bill now goes to the House for consideration.
Five Days Remaining
With only five days remaining in the legislative session, the House addressed one of the biggest issues this session on the floor yesterday, the tax bill. The House passed the tax conference committee report by a vote of 78-50. The conference committee report now heads to the Senate, where it could be taken up as early as today.
Earlier this week,
Gov. Mark Dayton
, said he wouldn’t sign the bill unless the Republican-controlled Legislature approved emergency funding for K-12 schools.
As shared earlier, the agreement calls for first-tier tax rate to drop from 5.35 percent to 5.3 percent in tax years 2018 and 2019, and 5.25 percent beginning in tax year 2020. The second-tier tax rate would drop from the current 7.05 percent to 6.95 percent in tax years 2018 and 2019 and 6.85 percent beginning in tax year 2020.
In the meantime, the supplemental budget conference committee continues to meet to work through the differences between the House and Senate. In addition to having agreements in higher education, agriculture and jobs and the environment, conferees reached agreement yesterday on housing, health and human services and E-12 education. The E-12 education agreement focuses on school safety and provides $27.9 million towards it.
As a reminder, the compromise language for higher education provides an increase of $4 million, with $3.5 million of that going to Minnesota State. $3 million would be appropriated for campus support and $500,000 for the renewal of workforce developmental scholarships. The remaining $500,000 would go to the Office of Higher Education for the State Grant program and other programs.
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This Week at the Capitol
Wednesday, May 16
10:00 a.m.
Senate in Session
HF4404 (Senjem): Omnibus capital investment bill
HF3799 (Dahms): Fraternal benefit societies regulation
HF3095 (Hall): Solid waste management provisions modification; organized collection agreement joint liability limitation
HF3759 (Osmek): Pipeline construction and routing authorization
10:00 a.m.
House in Session
Calendar for the Day:
SF327 (Bliss): Military pay or benefits assignment prohibition and penalties and remedies
HF3610 (Johnson, B.): Penalty for assaulting a police officer enhanced
HF3674 (O’Neill): Collective bargaining agreement and compensation plan information required to be submitted to the LCC
HF1481 (Grossell): Assaulting firefighters or medical personnel enhanced criminal penalties provided
HF3611 (Grossell): Local units of government prohibited from disarming peace officers who are in good standing
SFS2869 (Bahr, C.) Motor carriers tariff filing requiring elimination
SF893 (Smith): Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts enacted
HF3463 (Petersburg): Motor vehicle titling and registration provisions modified and money appropriated
HF3202 (Schomacker): Hospital construction moratorium exception project added, and provisions for the plan required changed for an exception to the hospital construction moratorium
SF3638 (Neu): Snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, and motorboats in operation full incorporation into the DWI law establishment
HF3838 (Mahoney): Saint Paul; design-build process for a public works project authorized
Call of the Chair
Supplemental Budget Conference Committee
Room: 120 Capitol
Chairs: Rep. Jim Knoblach and Sen. Julie Rosen
Agenda: Continuation of adopting language
House has the gavel
