Another short week expected; Omnibus bills on floor

This week is expected to be another short week at the Capitol due to the Republican party state convention beginning Thursday at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Over the weekend, Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson Kelliher won the DFL endorsement for governor. Kelliher is the first woman to be endorsed for governor by a major party in Minnesota. At the Capitol, the omnibus pension bill will be heard this week in both the Senate and House Finance committees, and the House K-12 Education Finance committee will be taking up the K-12 education bill with the intention to pass it out of committee Wednesday.

Today at the Capitol

12:00 PM
House in Session

1:00 PM (or 30 minutes after session adjourns)
House K-12 Education Finance
Room: Basement Hearing Room State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Mindy Greiling
Agenda: Walk-through of the omnibus K-12 finance and policy bill.
NOTE: Copies of the articles will be posted online and be available to the public at approximately noon Monday.
HF243 (Greiling) School finance system modified, and new education funding framework created.

2:00 PM
Senate in Session

Looking Ahead

Tuesday, April 27

8:30 AM
House State and Local Government Operations Reform, Technology and Elections
Room: 10 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Gene Pelowski
Agenda: HF2958 (Pelowski) Open Meeting Law changed.
HF2227 (Marquart) Board of Innovation reestablished, powers and duties imposed, and money appropriated.

9:30 AM
House Finance
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Lyndon Carlson
Agenda:
HR 8 (Huntley) A house resolution expressing the sense of the Minnesota House of Representatives regarding an extension of the enhanced federal Medicaid match.
HF3281 (Murphy) Omnibus pension bill
HF3660 (Koenen) Department of corrections; settlement provided for certain claims against the state for injuries suffered.
HF3571 (Koenen) Publicly owned nursing facilities rate increase authorized, and local share required for nonfederal medical assistance costs.
HF3748 (Simon) Chairs and ranking minority members of the Committee on Finance and Ways and Means authorized to request local impact notes.
SF2505 (Slawik) Statewide child care provider training, coaching, consultation, and supports funding provided to prepare for the voluntary Minnesota quality rating system, and money appropriated.
HF1993 (Clark) Minneapolis; utility poles treated with or containing pentachlorophenol prohibited.
HF3490 (Holberg) Requirements established governing capital requests and legislative reporting for projects to establish fixed guideway transit and rail lines.

Wednesday, April 28

8:30 AM
Senate Finance
Room: 123 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Richard J. Cohen
Agenda:
S.F. 2918-Betzold: Omnibus retirement bill.
S.F. 2573-Betzold: State, local, legislator and hospital public employees retirement financial sustainability provisions modifications.
S.F. 2644-Betzold: Minneapolis employees retirement fund (MERF) administrative functions transfer to the public employees retirement association (PERA); MERF consolidation account in PERA establishment and operation provisions.
S.F. 2199-Olson, G.: Legislature size reduction and senate district division prevention.

10:00 AM
House K-12 Education Finance
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Mindy Greiling
Agenda: Mark-up and passage of HF2431, the omnibus K-12 finance and policy bill.