Legislative Update
Friends and Neighbors,
Conference Committees have been in full swing this week. These are the joint committees of both House and Senate members whose responsibility it is to bring the House and Senate versions of the bills into alignment so that one final version of the bill can be passed and sent to the governor?s desk. This is also one last opportunity to change or remove any bad parts of the bills.
I am serving on the Housing Finance and Policy conference committee this year. So far we have gone over the side-by-side with our research staff to establish what portions of the bill need to be brought into alignment. This includes several disparities in spending and how the budget target for the committee is split up.
While most of the conference committees have at least one or two house republican members of the committee there are a few that have our caucus completely shut out. These include the Judiciary and Public Safety Bill, Environment and Natural Resources Bill,? as well as the Omnibus Jobs Economic Development, Labor, and Industry Bill. I believe it is a terrible precedent to set not having all of the perspectives gathered to provide input on these finalized pieces of legislation.
While we were on the floor for fewer hours than last week, we did still debate two major bills this week. These were the Jobs and Economic Development Policy Bill and the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act. The paid family leave bill was the most contentious as it will create an additional $3 Billion in payroll taxes to fund the program and create onerous new mandates for businesses even if they already offer a paid leave benefit.
With just over two weeks left in this year?s legislative session, the final budget is coming into view with a nearly 40% increase in government spending and over $9.5 billion in new taxes and fees. With so many Minnesotans facing difficult personal budgets I find it very concerning that our state is continuing the trend of out-of-control spending.
What are some of the legislative priorities you would like to see cross the finish line in the last few weeks this year?
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