Ewald at the Capitol/January 15

Committees Ramp Up

Committee hearings began in full this week, with 87 remote hearings conducted in total. Most of these hearings were introductory in nature, with introductions of members, legislative staff and agency staff, and overviews by staff and agencies.

Floor sessions this week in both the House and Senate took care of some additional basic business, such as mileage reimbursement for members and adoption of temporary and permanent rules for the body.

Gov. Walz’s peacetime emergency was renewed for another 30 days. Forty-eight other states also have states of emergency in place today.

The Legislature observes Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 18, and will begin conducting business again next Tuesday.

2021 Priorities

The House majority has released its priorities for the 2021 session. Priority concepts have been outlined in a series of five bills, which are:

HF1: Emergency housing assistance grants, rules related to evictions during and immediately following the current peacetime emergency, $500 payments to families using the Minnesota Family Investment or Diversionary Work programs, broadband expansion, and the creation of the COVID-19 food relief grant program.
HF2: Certain worker protections related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
HF3: Funding for emergency-related services.
HF4: Actions to help with educational effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
HF5: Funding for a child care assistance program and funding for the child care providers public health support fund.

The House DFL says this is not an exhaustive list of goals for this session, but they believe these to be some of the more immediate actions that need to be taken this year.

The Senate majority is expected to release its priorities soon.