Ewald at the Capitol/February 12

Hybrid Meetings Begin

The Senate held their first hybrid committee hearings this week. It was the first time this session when multiple senators were in the same room for a hearing. While the Senate is moving to this hybrid model, legislators, lobbyists and the public will continue to have a virtual option to participate in the committee hearing process.

The House continues to reiterate its intention to remain completely virtual. The different approaches magnify the differences in how the House and Senate view the pandemic and will likely lead to an increased debate over a potential Mask Mandate Bill.

New Republican Caucus Moves to Impeach Walz

The New Republican Caucus, comprised of five former Republican Caucus members who broke to form their own group, introduced articles of impeachment against Gov. Walz this week. The articles contain the following grievances:

Failing to respect the separation of powers (citing Minnesota's Constitution)
Creation of penalties for violation of Executive Orders without legislative involvement or authorization
Inhibiting free exercise of religion (citing the First Amendment in the U.S. Constitution and Minnesota's Constitution)
Taking property of business owners through closure without compensation (citing the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution)
Banning non-emergency and "elective" medicine

Dentist COVID-19 Vaccination Bill Passes Senate

SF 475 passed unanimously in the Senate this week; it would allow dentists to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to individuals 16 and older. Dentists are already authorized to administer flu vaccines to patients 19 and older. Part of the bill also reduces the age of patients that can receive an annual flu vaccine from their dentist to 16 and older.

This measure, described as an “all-hands-on-deck approach,” has already been passed in 20 states, and 10 other states are currently considering it. The bill now awaits action in the House.

Tax Dollar Website

The House Taxes committee heard a bill authored by Tax Committee Chair Paul Marquart that would create an interactive website to show where your tax dollars go. The user would input their income amount and the website would estimate the amount of taxes paid, then show the user the breakdown of their tax dollars by budget area. The website would even allow users to get a more accurate picture of where their tax dollars go by choosing to select whether they smoke, drink, or drive (motor vehicle fuels tax).

“The more transparent we can make things, the more likely people are to get involved and take an interest in where those dollars go and how much is spent,” said Chair Marquart.

There is currently no Senate version of this bill.

New Commissioner, Department of Labor and Industry

Roslyn Robertson has been appointed as Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DLI). Commissioner Robertson’s career at DLI spans more than 30 years. She previously served as deputy commissioner and oversaw the agency operation areas of Apprenticeship, Construction Codes and Licensing, Labor Standards, Occupational Safety and Health, and Workers' Compensation. She has been acting as temporary commissioner since August 2020.

Dates to Remember

Key dates for the 2021 Legislative Session are:

March 12: First deadline. This is the deadline by which committees must act favorably on bills in the body where the bill originated.
March 19: Second deadline. This is the deadline by which committees in the opposite body must act favorably on bills or companions of bills.
March 26–April 5: Legislative Easter/Passover break.
April 9: Third deadline. This is the deadline by which committees must act favorably on major appropriation and finance bills.
May 17: End of regular session.