Ewald at the Capitol/February 5

2021 Committee Deadlines

In a signed letter on Jan. 26, House and Senate leadership came to an agreement on the 2021 committee deadlines, as follows:

March 12: The first deadline is for committees to act favorably on bills in the house of origin.
March 19: The second deadline is for committees to act favorably on bills, or companions of bills, that met the first deadline in the other house.
April 9: The third deadline is for committees to act favorably on major appropriation and finance bills.

There is no annual deadline for the introduction of bills. However, each year the Legislature establishes deadlines for committee action on bills. Committee deadlines are announced during the first half of a session in order to winnow the list of topics to be dealt with that year.

2021 Priorities

The Senate majority has released their priorities for the 2021 session, which they are calling “Minnesota’s Priorities.” Priority concepts have been outlined under three key categories:

Recovering from COVID-19
Keeping life affordable
Supporting families

These priorities are aimed at improving vaccine distribution, not raising taxes, asking the government to “tighten its belt,“ getting students back in school and providing them every opportunity to succeed through the use of opportunity scholarships, and working with the federal government to provide Minnesotans with affordable housing.

First Bills Signed

On Jan. 29, Gov. Walz signed two bills into law, which extend the wavier on in-person marriage applications and hold the 2021 unemployment insurance experience rating constant.

Chapter 1, SF 26

This bill extends the waiving of the marriage application in-person requirement.

Chapter 2, SF 192

This bill holds 2021 unemployment insurance experience ratings constant, ensuring businesses aren’t penalized for 2020 layoffs.