First deadline Friday; lots of activity expected

Monday, March 8, 2010

With the first committee deadline approaching on Friday this week, legislative committees will be moving quickly to hear bills. The Senate higher education committee has already passed their omnibus finance bill, which will be heard in Senate Finance this morning. Tomorrow, the Senate will take up the higher education policy bill.

The House higher education committee is expected to hear bills all week. Tuesday, the committee will be meeting at 1:00 p.m. and then again at 4:30 p.m. On Wednesday, the committee will meet at 5:30 in the evening, and will then put together the omnibus bill on Thursday at 1:00 p.m.

We will continue to keep you updated as committees work this week to meet the first deadline.

Today at the Capitol

8:30 AM (televised live)
Senate Finance
Room: 123 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Richard J. Cohen
Agenda:
2010 Supplemental Budget
The following articles will be discussed:
Higher Education
Judiciary
Agriculture and Veterans
Environment, Energy and Natural Resources

11:00 AM
Senate in Session

1:00 PM
House in Session

3:00 PM
Senate State and Local Government Operations and Oversight
Room: 123 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Ann H. Rest
Agenda:
S.F. 2941-Saltzman: 4-H funding procedure modification; county and state fair surcharges authorization; University of Minnesota extension service policy modification for 4-H programs support.
S.F. 2752-Saltzman: Lower St. Croix River area land use modifications.
S.F. 2555-Senjem: Volunteer protections for entities assisting a local jurisdiction during an emergency or disaster.
S.F. 1605-Dibble: Municipal comprehensive plan affordable housing development amendment adoption requirement.
S.F. 2226-Rummel: Threats of reprisal against potential political candidates prohibition.
S.F. 1818-Berglin: Tenant campaign material posting in residential window authority.
S.F. 834-Pappas: Municipal precinct and ward boundaries procedures and requirements modification.
S.F. 2888-Gerlach: Elections provisions modifications; authorized proofs of residence modification; vouching for certain voters on election date elimination; provisional ballots for unregistered voters authorization.

Looking Ahead

Tuesday, March 9

8:30 AM
Senate Education
Room: 112 Capitol
Chair: Sen. LeRoy A. Stumpf
Agenda:
MDE Presentation: The ACCESS System: Achieving College and Career Readiness for Every Student's Success
S.F. XXXX (Wiger) - College and Career Readiness Policy Institute Working Group assessment and accountability recommendations.
S.F. 2610-Anderson: Graduation required assessment for diploma (GRAD) language arts and reading paper-and-pencil format for retaking test authorization.
S.F. XXXX (Wiger) Minnesota Department of Education policy and technical bill.

8:30 AM
*Note: The committee will recess at 10:00 AM and reconvene at 6:00 PM in the Basement Hearing Room.
House K-12 Education Policy and Oversight
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Carlos Mariani
Agenda: HF2986 (Hornstein) Responsible family life and sexuality education program created.
HFXXXX (Doepke) Board of teaching rulemaking authorized.
HF2995 (Tillberry) Diagnosis qualifications of attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder expanded.
HF3267 (Newton) Advisory task force established on school desegregation and integration.
HFXXXX (Newton) Clarifying requirements for a conciliation conference; MDE directed to amend two special education rules.
HF2962 (Fritz) Minnesota Academy for the Deaf and Minnesota Academy for the Blind provided trial placement.
HFXXXX (Benson) School district mandates reduced.
Meeting Documents: HFXXXX (Doepke) Board of teaching rulemaking authorized.
HFXXXX (Newton) Clarifying requirements for a conciliation conference

12:30 PM
House in Session

12:30 PM
Senate Higher Education Budget and Policy Division
Room: 123 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Sandra L. Pappas
Agenda:
S.F. 2822-Clark: Minnesota state colleges and universities (MnSCU) credits transfer regulation.
S.F. XXXX-Pappas: Office of Higher Education Policy Bill.
Minnesota Home Grown Initiative

1:00 PM
House Higher Education and Workforce Development Policy and Finance Division
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Tom Rukavina
Agenda:
Jobs Bills hearing
Central Minnesota Manufacturing Association will present information on the needs of small manufacturing businesses
HF3037 (Rukavina) Manufacturing equipment loan program established for manufacturing businesses in the state, and revenue bonds issued.
HF3228 (Rukavina) Renewable energy source conversion grant program created for municipal utilities and cooperative electric associations, bonds issued, and money appropriated.
HF2837(Knuth)"Green economy" definition amended to include the concept of "green chemistry".
HF2810 (Rukavina Mandatory work and meal breaks modified.
HFXXXX (Rukavina) Establishing pilot program to move campus reserves at some MnSCU institutions to local community banks

2:45 PM
House Capital Investment Finance Division
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Alice Hausman
Agenda: HF2182 (Gardner) Rating criteria required for capital project funding requests.
HF2909 (Anderson) State agencies required to track and report on the number of jobs created or retained as a result of capital project funding.
HF3105 (Downey) Information required to determine return on investment for capital requests.
Discussion on various bonding policies including provisions in HF2700 as passed on the House Floor.

2:45 PM
House K-12 Education Finance Division
Room: 10 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Mindy Greiling
Agenda: HF3176 (Slocum) Charter school provisions modified, commission created, and charter schools permitted to borrow money.

3:00 PM
Senate Agriculture and Veterans
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Jim Vickerman
Agenda:
S.F. 2927-Doll: Veterans preference provisions modifications.
S.F. 2626-Erickson Ropes: Minnesota state academies bond issue and appropriation.
S.F. 1657-Olson, M.: Environment and natural resources organization advisory committee establishment and task forces; state agencies powers and duties consideration requirements.

4:30 PM
House Higher Education and Workforce Development Policy and Finance Division
Room: 400S State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Tom Rukavina
Agenda:
HF1418 (Nelson) Plumbing regulated.
HF1767 (Nelson) Unlicensed construction contractor and subcontractor registration required, and fee imposed.
HF2946 (Kalin) Public infrastructure for bioscience businesses expanded to include clean energy businesses.
HF3133 (Loeffler Workers' compensation benefits provided for domestic partners, domestic partners of military members in employee leave requirements included, and payment of wages due to a deceased employee to a surviving domestic partner provided.
HF3413 (Gunther) Board of Barber Examiners' license fees modified, and money appropriated.
Workforce bills plus any jobs bills remaining from morning
HFxxxx Board of cosmetologists license fees modified and money appropriate

Wednesday, March 10

8:30 AM
Senate Finance
Room: 123 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Richard J. Cohen
Agenda:
2010 Supplemental Budget
The following articles will be discussed:
Economic Development
State Government
Transportation
Public Safety

12:30 PM
Senate Business, Industry and Jobs
Room: 123 Capitol
Chair: Sen. James P. Metzen
Agenda:
S.F. 2911-Berglin: Window fall prevention devices requirements modification.
S.F. 2758-Bonoff: Minnesota Entrepreneur Resource Virtual Network (MERVN) authorization and appropriation.
S.F. 2874-Pogemiller: State government streamlining; departments of employment and economic development (DEED) and labor and industry abolishment; commerce department downsizing; task force and employee participation committee establishment.

12:30 PM
Senate State Government Budget Division
Room: 112 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Don Betzold
Agenda:
S.F. 2386-Metzen: Labor agreements and compensation plans ratification.
S.F. 2750-Bonoff: Constitutional amendment for public debt to be incurred for public information technology systems, licenses and infrastructure.
S.F. 2506-Bonoff: Capital project funding report on jobs created or retained.

12:30 PM
Senate Health, Housing and Family Security
Room: 15 Capitol
Chair: Sen. John Marty
Agenda. TBA

5:30 PM
House Higher Education and Workforce Development Policy and Finance Division
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Tom Rukavina
Agenda: Higher Education Bills
HF2657 (Rukavina Revenue bond limit increased for the higher education facilities authority.
HF2766 (Welti) Educational data disclosure clarified.
HF3354 (Nornes) Grant eligibility modified, loan limits and terms modified, private institution fees increased, high school-to-college developmental transition program, terms defined, funds transferred, and appropriations modified and reduced.
Higher Education Bills
HFXXXX (McFarlane) OHE policy bill
HFXXXX OHE grant requirements

6:00 PM
Senate State and Local Government Operations and Oversight
Room: 123 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Ann H. Rest
Agenda:
S.F. 2950-Sparks: Jobs, family and economic development fund creation; agricultural, rural, early childhood, bioscience, medical technology, economic development, athletic, recreational, extracurricular activities and capital improvements funding mechanisms authorization.


Thursday, March 11

8:30 AM
House K-12 Education Policy and Oversight
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Carlos Mariani
Agenda: HF3163 (Mariani) Prekindergarten through grade 12 funding provided, including general education, education excellence, special programs, and early childhood education.

1:00 PM
House Higher Education and Workforce Development Policy and Finance Division
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Tom Rukavina
Omnibus Higher Ed and Workforce bills