|
|
|
|
|
|
As the first bill deadline approaches, committee hearings in the House and Senate are ramping up, with a total of 93 hearings in both bodies this week. A total of 398 bills have been introduced in the legislature, though the Senate and House floor sessions have had a relative break in momentum as several bills are being heard and passed through committees. The combination of an election year and new district maps has triggered a flurry of retirements, with more to come in the following weeks.
Frontline Worker Bonuses Pass the House
The House bill to deliver $1 billion in frontline worker bonuses was passed by the House on Thursday by a vote of 68-63. Those opposing the bill argued mainly against the wide scope, which covers more types of workers and costs four times more than the $250 million agreed to by the legislature and the governor last session. Those supporting passage of the bill argued that all the workers included in this new bill put themselves at risk during the pandemic to keep the economy moving. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Cedrick Frazier (DFL–New Hope) estimates that 667,000 Minnesotans will be eligible to receive bonuses with this new bill. The bill now heads to the Senate where Sen. Erin Murphy (DFL–St. Paul) is the sponsor. The Senate has yet to advance companion legislation.
Redistricting
After the initial panic of last week, dust is settling over the decennial legislative redistricting shake-up. It will take some time for a complete analysis of all 201 state legislative districts, but we expect to see a lot of new faces come next session. There are a number of new open seats, a sizeable number of retirements — and in some new districts, legislators are preparing to campaign against their colleagues because they were paired in the same seat.
Retirements:
So far, 25 legislators in the Minnesota House and Senate have announced they will not run for re-election in 2022. Notably, two key leaders in the Senate have announced their retirement, Senate President David Osmek (R–Mound) and Senate Minority leader Melisa Lopez Franzen (DFL–Edina). Several other legislators have decided to run for the opposite body, or for a different elected office. Here is the updated list of retirements as of Thursday, February 24, though we expect more to come in the following weeks.
House Retirements
- Shelly Christensen (DFL–39B)
- Jim Davnie (DFL–63A)
- Bob Dettmer (R–39A)
- Rod Hamilton (R–22B)
- Alice Hausman (DFL–66A)
- Todd Lippert (DFL–20B)
- Dale Lueck (R–10B)
- Carlos Mariani (DFL–65B)
- Paul Marquart (DFL–4B)
- Tim Miller (R–17A)
- Jeremy Munson (R–23B)
- Ami Wazlawik (DFL–38B)
- Sondra Erickson (R–15A)
Senate Retirements
- Melisa Lopez Franzen (DFL–49)
- David Osmek (R–33)
- Greg Clausen (DFL–57)
- Chris Eaton (DFL–40)
- Michael Goggin (R–21)
- Bill G. Ingebrigtsen (R–8)
- Susan Kent (DFL–8)
- Mary Kiffmeyer (R–30)
- Scott Newman (R–18)
- Jerry Newton (DFL–37)
- John Poston (R–9A)
- Julie Rosen (R–23)
- David Tomassoni (I–6)
- Patricia Torres Ray (DFL–63)
- Chuck Wiger (DFL–43)
House members running for the Senate
- Steve Green (R–2B) running for SD 2
- Cal Bahr (R–31B) running for SD 31
- Steve Drazkowski (R–21B) running for SD 21
- Barb Haley (R–21A) running for SD 21
- Tony Jurgens (R–54B) running SD 54
- Eric Lucero (R–30B) running for SD 30
- Kelly Morrison (DFL–33B) running for SD 33
- Jordan Rasmusson (R–8A) running for SD 8
- Tou Xiong (DFL–53A) running for SD 53
- Andrew Carlson (DFL–50B) running for SD 50
House members running for other positions:
- Rena Moran (DFL–65A) intends to run for Ramsey County Commissioner
- Ryan Winkler (DFL–46A) intends to run for Hennepin County Attorney
Senators running for other positions:
- Michelle Benson (R–31) intends to run for Governor
- Karla Bigham (DFL–54) intends to run for Washington County Commissioner
- Paul Gazelka (R–9) intends to run for Governor
Senate members running for the House
- Jerry Newton (DFL–37) running for House seat 35B
USS Minneapolis-St. Paul
The U.S. Navy will have a ship named for the Twin Cities. The LCS 21, or USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul, will be commissioned later this year with a ceremony in Duluth. The House Labor, Industry, Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy Committee has laid over $200,000 for the ceremony as part of HF3315. Its Senate companion bill, SF3080 awaits action by the Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy Committee.
Dates to Remember
- Friday, March 25 — Committees must act favorably on bills in the house of origin.
- Friday, April 1 — Committees must act favorably on bills, or companions of bills, that met the first deadline in the other body.
- Friday, April 8 — Committees must act favorably on major appropriation and finance bills.
- Friday, April 8–Monday, April 18 — Easter/Passover/Spring Break for legislature.
- May 23 — Legislature must complete its work.
Resources
|
|
|
|
|
They Said It...
“This is a great opportunity to bring Minneapolis and St. Paul together; to get together, give us an opportunity to celebrate one of the things that, I think, our country is known for, and that is strength. By supporting the Navy, by supporting the commissioning of this ship, we are showing strength. I believe that’s what Minnesota and the United States needs right now.” – Rep. Donald Raleigh (R–Circle Pines) on USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul
|
|
|
|
|
Ewald Government Relations Team
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
