At the Legislature
Monday
House Ways and Means processed SF4062/HF4492 Hansen, the environment and natural resources omnibus; and created the HF4608 Mariani public safety/judiciary omnibus by adding HF3920 Becker-Finn to it.
The Senate passed SF2673 Limmer, public safety omnibus.
Senate Finance took up SF4091 Pratt, the jobs omnibus.
- They adopted an amendment to remove the higher education provisions so that bill can move separately.
- Kiffmeyer moved an amendment to add the Senate proposal on Frontline Worker Pay for a narrow set of workers.
- Franzen moved an amendment to the amendment with the House language. It failed on a party-line vote.
- The underlying amendment was adopted on a party-line vote.
- SF4091 as amended was sent to the floor on a voice vote.
The House took up HF3166 Pelowski, $2.7B to replenish the UI trust fund.
- Noor offered an amendment to provide a refund to any employers who have already paid the higher rates. It was adopted.
- Frazier moved and amendment to add HF2900, the House Frontline Worker Pay proposal to provide $1B for $1500 payments to frontline workers. It was adopted on a voice vote.
- Greenman moved an amendment to end the exclusion of hourly school workers from UI. It was adopted on a party line roll call.
- The bill as amended passed on party-line 70-63.
The House passed HF4366 Sundin, the omnibus Ag, Broadband, and Housing bill 70-62.
Tuesday
House Ways and Means took up an amendment to the House budget resolution to shift funding allocations to allow funding for PFML and ESST in the Jobs and Labor targets. It was adopted on a voice vote.
Ways and Means took up the Jobs, Labor, Energy, Commerce, and Higher Ed omnibi.
- HF4711 Ecklund, Labor omnibus.
- Adopted an author’s amendment on a voice vote to include Building Strong Communities and Warehouse Worker Safety.
- Olson moved an amendment to add ESST. It was adopted on a voice vote.
- HF4711 as amended was laid over.
- HF3337 Long, Climate and Energy. Adopted an author’s amendment on a voice vote and laid it over.
- HF3607 Stephenson, Commerce. Adopted an author’s amendment on a voice vote and laid it over.
- HF4355 Noor, Workforce. Adopted an author’s amendment on a voice vote and laid it over.
- Noor moved an amendment to add PFML. Adopted on a voice vote.
- A series of motions was made to combine the four bills into HF4355 Noor and send it to the floor.
- The final vote on HF4355 as amended was party line.
Ways and Means passed HF3872 Bernardy, the higher ed bill, adopted an author’s amendment, and sent it to the General Register.
The House passed HF4293 Nelson, the omnibus pensions, state gov, transportation, veterans and military affairs omnibus.
The Senate took up SF4410 Abeler, Health and Human Services.
- Eaton moved an amendment to remove the Nurse Licensure Compact. It failed 32-35. Abeler and Tomassoni voted with the DFL and Bakk and Eken with the GOP.
- The bill passed 61-5.
The Senate passed SF4091 Pratt, the omnibus Jobs bill.
- Champion offered an amendment to delete the bad wage theft provisions. It failed 30-35, with Bakk and Tomassoni joining the Republican side.
- Bigham offered an amendment to add Safe and Skilled Workforce. It failed on a 32-33 party line vote, with Bakk and Tomassoni joining the Democratic side.
- Dziedzic offered an amendment to add Warehouse Distribution Worker Safety, spoke to the issue, and withdrew the amendment.
- Kent spoke about the need for Paid Family and Medical Leave.
- Housley moved an amendment to add to the list of criteria to be eligible for frontline worker pay that worker “is able to demonstrate that the nature of their position as a first responder or other emergency frontline worker or long-term or other health care frontline worker provided sustained COVID-19 exposure or required direct COVID-19 patient care”.
- It was adopted on a party line vote with Bakk and Tomassoni voting with the majority.
Wednesday
Ways and Means processed the following and combined them into the HHS and Early Childhood omnibus and sent it to the floor.
HF4735 (Pinto) Early Childhood Omnibus
HF4579 (Schultz) Human Services Omnibus
SF4410 /HF4706 (Liebling) Health Omnibus
They sent HF3669 Marquart, the tax omnibus, to the floor.
The House passed HF4300 Davnie, the E-12 omnibus, on a vote of 69-61.
The Senate passed HF4366, Ag Housing, and Broadband omnibus.
Thursday
Senate Taxes took up SF4394 Coleman, providing tax credits for employers to purchase paid family leave insurance, and adopted an author’s amendment. Several members of the PFML coalition testified in opposition as this approach will not increase Minnesotans’ access to paid leave.
Senate Finance heard a Presentation from MMB regarding Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)
Senate Capital Investment held an informational hearing on water infrastructure.
The House passed SF4062/HF4492 Hansen, the environment omnibus.
The conference committee for SF2677 Pratt met and passed overnight the negotiated compromise to spend $2.7B to refill the UI trust fund, $500M for the House’s universe of frontline workers, and $190M for the Governor to use for COVID response.
Friday
The House passed the Higher Ed omnibus.
The Senate took up the conference report SF2677, replenishing the UI trust fund and frontline worker pay and passed it 65-1, with Fateh voting no.
The House passed UI Trust Fund/Frontline Worker pay conference report, with Gomez, Hassan, Mortenson, and Xiong, J voting no.
The Frontline Worker Coalition released a statement welcoming the passage of frontline worker pay in recognizing the sacrifices of essential workers.
The House passed SF2673 Mariani, public safety omnibus, with the House language.
Looking Ahead
We except the House Jobs bill on the floor Tuesday or Wednesday.
Monday
The Senate is in session but not the House.
Tuesday
House is in session
Wednesday
Senate Capital Investment hears a presentation on the Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and hears SF4066 Jasinski, local roads and bridges bond issue and appropriation.
This Week at the Capitol from MN AFL-CIO is a weekly “under the dome” update on Labor’s legislative priorities. It is distributed to a labor audience including: MN AFL-CIO Executive and General Board members; Area Labor Councils and Regional Labor Federations; the MN AFL-CIO State Retiree Council; Local Union Coordinators; labor press; labor lobbyists and campaign staff; and Labor Caucus legislators.