Around midnight on the deadline of a state government shutdown (Jul. 1), Gov. Walz finished signing all budget bills that had come his way so far. The last piece of the puzzle was the Taxes omnibus bill, which was passed by the Legislature early this morning.
The House adjourned sine die, signifying the end of their work and meaning that they cannot come back into session without a call from the governor. However, the Senate left the special session doors cracked open by not adjourning sine die; they plan to come back into session on Friday, July 2. No new business can occur with one body, so it is likely that the Senate chose to not adjourn sine die to see the passage of the Taxes omnibus bill into law through to the end.
Veto rules differ depending on whether the Legislature is in session vs. adjourned sine die. When a bill is passed, the governor has three days to sign or veto it; otherwise, it will passively become law without signature. However, if the Legislature adjourns sine die, the governor has 14 days to make a decision, and a lack of signature instead results in a pocket veto.
Peacetime Emergency Ends
Last week, an agreement was reached between the House and Senate on the State Government, Elections & Veterans omnibus bill, but not without a little controversy. When it came time for a vote in the Senate, an amendment was added ending Gov. Walz’s peacetime emergency on July 1. Initially, the governor was concerned with the timing because he believed he needed some more time to assure certain federal funding would continue. However, he eventually agreed to end his peacetime emergency powers, in place since March 2020, because he came to realize the federal aid would likely continue without it.
The bill has since been repassed by both bodies and signed into law, effectively ending the peacetime emergency.
Public Safety Agreement
As of the last edition of Ewald at the Capitol, Public Safety was the last budget area remaining that had not yet been agreed to. The bill has now passed through both bodies but has not yet been signed by Gov. Walz. Highlights of the $2.64 billion agreement include:
Funding for entities that fall in the budget purview such as the Department of Public Safety and Department of Corrections.
Creation of a task force on Missing and Murdered African American Women.
Establishment of child torture crime, which will have penalties of a $35,000 fine and up to 25 years in prison.
Prohibition on the use of restraints on minors appearing in court.
Regulation of no-knock warrants.
$500,000 to improve courthouse security.
Requirement for 911 operators to refer calls to mental health crisis teams where available.
Funding for additional violent crime enforcement teams.
Establishing a Juvenile Justice Unit.
Redistricting on the Horizon
First comes a census, then comes redistricting. The Minnesota Legislature has the constitutional responsibility to redistrict, or re-draw boundaries, for Congressional, State House, State Senate, and Metropolitan districts (local districts are redistricted on a local level). Basic redistricting requirements include that districts must be of equal population, “convenient, contiguous territory,” and numbered in a regular series.
In preparation, the Supreme Court has appointed judges to the redistricting panel that will be charged with hearing any lawsuits related to redistricting. If the Legislature cannot come to an agreement and fails to redistrict on time (19 weeks prior to the state primary), the panel can make redistricting decisions themselves.
They Said It...
“You shouldn’t get patted on the back for doing what you’re supposed to do, but I’m telling you, in 2021, trying to legislate in this democracy, especially with a divided Legislature, is quite an accomplishment.” – Gov. Tim Walz
