Menu

Minnesota State Government activity

Ewald at the Capitol: State Budget Outlook

, , , ,

STATE BUDGET OUTLOOK

On Wednesday, Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) released the state budget forecast, showing a mixed picture of the state’s financial outlook. The forecast indicates a $616 million surplus for the FY26-27 biennium, which is far less than anticipated. MMB also forecasts a structural imbalance ranging from $3.5 billion to $5.1 billion for the FY28-29 biennium, causing concerns about the state’s future financial stability.

For more information on the budget, you can read the entire forecast here as well as the presentation documents.

HOUSE COMMITTEE UPDATE

With the 67-67 tie in the House, much is still unknown about how power-sharing will work in the next legislative session. However, co-leaders Rep. Melissa Hortman and Rep. Lisa Demuth have agreed to a committee structure and appointed committee chairs. Under this agreement, committees will be chaired by DFL and Republican co-chairs and committee membership will be equally divided. Committee chairs were recently named, but committee membership is not yet determined.

HELPFUL RESOURCES

A few helpful links to follow the election and other action at the State Capitol:

To find your legislators, visit Who Represents Me

To view the election results, visit The Secretary of State’s Website

Ewald at the Capitol: Election Updates

, , ,

Ewald at the Capitol – November 8, 2024

 

 

ELECTION UPDATES

On Tuesday, November 5, voters went to the polls to elect President and Vice President, Members of Congress, and the Minnesota House of Representatives, including one special state Senate election.

Along with the Presidency, Republicans were able to gain a majority in the U.S. Senate by flipping key seats in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Montana and Ohio. Several seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are still too close to call. Republicans came into the election with a 220-212 majority in the House.

While attention was mainly focused on the presidency, we are closely watching the state legislative races.

This year, Minnesotans voted on races in the Minnesota House of Representatives and one seat in the Minnesota Senate (District 45), which was a special election to replace retiring Sen. Kelly Morrison, who stepped down to run for Congress.

This was an extremely important race for both parties, with Republicans hoping to flip both houses. Coming into the election, Minnesota already had a unique legislative dynamic, with Democrats having a trifecta holding the Governorship, the Minnesota Senate with a 34-33 majority, and the Minnesota House with a 70-64 majority.

Democrats ultimately were able to keep control of the Senate with DFL Senator-elect Ann Johnson Stewart winning 52% of the vote. Meanwhile, House Republicans needed to win four seats to take control — they managed to win three. Republicans won vacant seats in districts 26A and 7B (both previously held by DFLers), and in 18A newcomer Erica Schwartz defeated incumbent DFLer Jeff Brand. This brought a 67-67 tie between the parties.

State law dictates that when a state legislative candidate wins by less than 0.5%, there is a publicly funded recount in that race. So, two races are automatically headed to a recount due to being too close to call. In District 14B, Democrat Dan Wolgamott won reelection by 28 votes, while in District 54A, Democrat Brad Tabke won reelection by 13 votes.

What if there is a 67-67 tie? The last time this occurred in Minnesota was in 1979 — we had a peanut farmer in the White House and the number one movie in January 1979 was a re-release of Disney’s 101 Dalmatians. The Minnesota Secretary of State is charged with gaveling in a new House, and so that year, Secretary of State Joan Growe, acting as temporary presiding officer, presided over the tied body to perform basic business — but she could not name committee chairs or set committees. After five days, an agreement was reached where the Republicans would get the speakership and the DFL would chair the rules, taxes, and appropriations committees and get one vote majorities on those committees. Bills that got to the House floor almost always had bipartisan support, and members rarely missed committee meetings or floor sessions. But as with all stories that start off easy, the end gets a little more colorful. If you’d like to learn more on the whole story, you can find it here.

HELPFUL RESOURCES

A few helpful links to follow the election and other action at the State Capitol:

To find your legislators, visit Who Represents Me

To view and/or keep up with election results, visit The Secretary of State’s Website

Ewald at the Capitol: New Laws Go into Effect

, , ,

Ewald at the Capitol – August 9, 2024

 

NEW LAWS NOW IN EFFECT

Effective dates for laws passed during a legislative session vary. Some are specified to be effective immediately once a bill is signed by the governor. Most budget bills take effect July 1 to coincide with the start of the new fiscal year and most bills without an effective date take effect August 1.

Some new laws that took effect on August 1 include:

  • Harsher penalty for “swatting” — Swatting is the act of faking an emergency aimed at sending law enforcement to the home of a target. The bill passed last session raises swatting from a misdemeanor to a felony.

  • Child passenger laws — Children under 13 must be transported in the rear seat of a motor vehicle, where available. In addition, children under the age of 13 are also required to use a child passenger restraint system or booster seat secured with a safety belt.

  • New penalties for straw purchases and guns — Straw purchases are when one party purchases a firearm for another party who is ineligible to purchase or possess one. Under the new provisions, the penalty for such an action increases from a misdemeanor to a felony.

  • New Compliance Obligations for Employers — These include new provisions related to employee wages and earnings such as:

    • While the new paid family and medical leave law will not take effect until January 1, 2026, starting on August 1, 2024, pregnant workers can take prenatal medical leave without counting against their twelve weeks of parental leave. Additionally, employers must offer the same health benefits during pregnancy and parental leave, contributing to the health benefits as if the employee were working.

    • Employers now need to pay workers the full amount of tips received by card or electronic payment, rather than subtracting a swipe fee first.

    • Employers now have to keep pay stubs for at least three years.

  • Rights for Parents with Disabilities — Prohibits a court from denying a prospective adoptive parent the ability to proceed with an adoption due to the prospective parent’s disability.

These are just some of the many laws that took effect as of August 1. For all new laws taking effect, you can view a more complete list here.

ELECTION UPDATES

On August 8, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate and candidate for Vice President. This marks the first time since 1984 that a Minnesotan has been on a presidential ticket. The announcement came just two weeks after Vice President Harris announced her candidacy for president.

If the Harris/Walz ticket wins in November, the following would take place:

  1. Gov. Walz would resign to take on the role of Vice President of the United States.

  2. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan would then immediately be sworn in as Minnesota’s governor.

  3. The most recent President of the Minnesota Senate (Sen. Bobby Joe Champion – DFL, Minneapolis) would in turn become the new Lieutenant Governor.

Some additional considerations:

  1. At the beginning of the legislative session on January 14, 2025, the Senate must elect a president of the senate as they organize themselves for the new biennium. It could be Sen. Champion, but it could be another member.

  2. A special election could change the majority in the Minnesota Senate — right now, with Sen. Kelly Morrison having resigned her seat to run for Congress, the Senate is tied 33/33.

  3. There is precedent where the President of the Senate does not resign their seat — Michelle Fischbach held both positions until the end of the legislative session in 2018. It is unclear whether Sen. Champion would follow that same pattern.

You can also see this interview with Minnesota Senate President Bobby Joe Championwhere he laid out what would happen if Gov. Walz wins and assumes the position of Vice President.

As a reminder, voters will head to the polls in November to vote for several races — including President, U.S. Senator for Minnesota, all 8 members of Minnesota’s U.S. House of Representatives delegation, and all 134 Minnesota House of Representatives districts. The Minnesota state senate is not up for election this year, but a special election will be held in Senate District 45, where Kelly Morrison resigned the state senate to run for U.S. Congress in the Third Congressional district.

Some important election dates to remember:  

June 28–August 12: Vote early by mail or in person for the August 13 primary elections 

August 13: Primary Election Day 

September 20 through November 5: Vote by mail or in person  

November 5: Election Day 

For more voting information such as how to vote, where to vote, and other questions you may have you can visit the Secretary of State’s website here. 

The Ewald Consulting Government Relations team has compiled a list of candidate filings. To find more detailed information in the races up for election, you can visit this candidate filings list.

Legislative Session Recap

, , ,

Ewald at the Capitol – May 31, 2024

LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

On Monday, May 20, House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Senate President Bobby Joe Champion adjourned the 93rd Legislative session. Like other sessions, this one was full of ups and downs. Despite some believing this session would be easy, it was anything but: from the burglary charges against Senator Nicole Mitchell (DFL-Woodbury) to the tense debates surrounding bills like the Equal Rights Amendment or the sports betting bill, and to the challenges in both the House and Senate during the final moments of floor session when the DFL majority used a procedural motion to end debate to pass their last two bills. This procedural motion, called “moving the previous questions,” led to raucous uproar from the Republican minority in both bodies but allowed the DFL majority to pass a final tax and budget bill. They also attempted to pass a bonding bill, but that bill missed the midnight deadline for passage by one minute in the Senate.

Overall, the legislature passed several bills this session, along with a supplemental budget. However, some high-profile bills did not make the cut.

Bills that passed this session include, but are not limited to:

  • EMS office creation and funds – $24 million in emergency aid will go to Minnesota’s Emergency Medical Services in greater Minnesota and $6 million for a pilot program aimed at improving EMS delivery in Northeastern parts of the state. The Office of Emergency Medical Services will also be established to oversee Minnesota’s EMS network.

  • Uber/Lyft – Perhaps one of the most-covered issues in Minnesota media in recent months, negotiations with the namesake rideshare apps caused a stir. A very late deal made on the evening of May 18 between Gov. Tim Walz, DFL legislative leaders, Minneapolis city leaders and the two rideshare companies was reached. The deal would pay drivers $1.28 per mile and 31 cents per minute — a rate that would increase current pay by 20%.

  • School resource officers – The bill to clarify what tools school resource officers have while working in schools passed early in session.

  • Cannabis provision modifications – Modifications to previous laws regarding “crossfading,” licensure and home growing for medicinal cannabis.

  • “Mommy” social media account profit ban – This law would ban making money off social media accounts that feature children, making Minnesota the first state to do so. For videos with older children, profits from videos would need to be set aside for those children until they reach age 18.

  • Ticket fees – Sharing the same bill number as the hit Taylor Swift album “1989,” Gov. Walz earlier this month signed into law a measure that requires ticket sellers to list the full ticket price, including fees, upfront on their websites (aptly named the “Taylor Swift bill”).

  • Voting Rights Act – In response to certain protections in the federal Voting Rights Act being reduced by court decisions, the provisions in this state act add protections against voter suppression and dilution of minority voters.

  • Food Security – The legislature passed an additional $5 million to address the growing use of food shelves and food banks by Minnesotans.

  • Paid Family and Medical Leave – The legislature passed additional revisions to the PFML program passed last session. The changes will increase the payroll tax rate from 0.7% passed last session to 0.88% in 2026 and to at least 0.93% by 2029 to sustain the program.

  • Minnesota Advisory Council on Infrastructure (MACI) Established – The legislature established the Minnesota Advisory Council on Infrastructure (MACI), which was recommended by the advisory council on infrastructure and patterned after the Michigan Infrastructure Council. The council is expected to assist in infrastructure project coordination across infrastructure sectors and long-term planning using asset management and other tools.

On the flip side, some bills that did not pass for various reasons included:

  • Bonding – Even-numbered years of the legislative session have traditionally been dedicated to passing a capital investment (bonding) bill to fund Minnesota’s infrastructure needs. This year, the legislature failed to pass a bonding bill to fund infrastructure needs. This means that millions of dollars in infrastructure needs for the Public Facilities Authority (PFA) to fund the State Matching Grant to State Revolving Loan Programs, Water Infrastructure Fund (WIF), road construction, and other infrastructure projects will go unfunded. A last-minute $70 million cash bonding bill was hastily passed by the House during the last-minute chaos of session, but the vote in the Senate was not completed before the midnight deadline.

  • Equal Rights Amendment – The bill would have put a constitutional amendment on the 2026 ballot that, if supported by more than 50% of the voters, would have prohibited discrimination based on gender, sex or sexual identity. Both the Senate and the House passed different versions of the ERA, but ran out of time to find agreement.

  • Ranked choice voting – The bill to allow local units of government the option to use ranked choice voting for local elections was brought to the House floor but did not get the required 68 votes, with the total being 66–62.

  • Sports betting – One of the bills that many Minnesotans hoped would pass did not. Despite a deal being worked out on Sunday, it was too late to finalize the agreement and pass it.

  • Full-time legislature: The proposed constitutional amendment to expand the time the legislature meets passed a few committees but did not advance to a final vote.

If you’d like to view these or other bills that went to the governor’s desk for approval, you can follow the Legislation Tracker / Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan (mn.gov)

The legislature also passed an overall supplemental budget package that appropriates over $500 million for key areas of the state budget — including education, health and human services, housing, taxes, and transportation. Key components of the supplemental budget passed include:

  • Modifications to childcare tax credits.

  • Property tax forfeiture law policy changes, which are a remedy for the Tyler v. Hennepin County Supreme Court decision.

  • Funding for roads, bridges and other transportation infrastructure needs.

  • Funding to support literacy instruction, increase student attendance and support those entering the teaching profession.

  • Expansion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and summer school nutrition programs.

  • Expansion of various health occupation licensing to allow for practice across state lines which increases access to various health services.

  • Additional funding for homeless prevention housing programs.

  • Additional funding for programs and services to support adult and children’s mental health needs and to address substance use disorders.

  • Expansion of caregiver grant programs and services for Minnesotans with disabilities, and the establishment of a Human Services Response Contingency Account.
LEGISLATIVE RETIREMENTS

Over the last several months, several representatives have announced they are not seeking re-election. For an up-to-date list of legislative retirements, please visit the Legislative Reference Library’s list of retirements.
END-OF-SESSION PRESS CONFERENCES

More a partisan spin on the final days of session, you can view the post-session press conferences for the House and Senate Republican and DFL parties.
CANDIDATE FILING INFORMATION

Election season is soon upon us, and candidates have begun filing for office. Most offices, including those at the Federal, State, and County level, are open for filing from May 21 to June 4. Offices in cities or school districts that do not have primaries will begin their filing periods on July 30 and end on August 13.

Those looking to file must submit an Affidavit of Candidacy and submit a filing fee to the appropriate filing officer. To find information or see who has filed for Candidacy, you can visit: Candidate Filings (mn.gov)
HELPFUL RESOURCES

A few helpful links to follow the action at the State Capitol:

To find your legislators, visit Who Represents Me

For bills that have been presented to the Governor for a signature, visit the
Legislation Tracker / Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan (mn.gov)

Legislative Updates and more

, , ,

LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

With just over a week left in the legislative session, a lot of work remains unfinished. The House and Senate have debated and passed numerous budget and policy bills, and conference committees have been established with members from their respective chambers assigned to hammer out differences between companion bills. Each body must pass identical bills before a final bill can go to the governor for action.

Get more information on these bills, and on conference committee appointments, here: Conference Committees — Minnesota Legislature (mn.gov)

Legislative leaders have publicly stated that their top priority is passing a capital investment package this session. Both the House and Senate continue to advance identical bills that provide a framework for a potential end-of-session deal. The heart of any compromise with the ability to gain a super-majority of votes necessary for passage (three-fifths of the members) in the House and Senate will center around $300 million in funds set aside for local projects.

After the end of this week, the legislature will only have a few days to pass bills. The legislature will reach its 120th legislative day soon — it cannot act on bills on the last day of session, when it will adjourn sine die. If the legislature does not reach 120 legislative days, the legislature is constitutionally required to adjourn Monday, May 20. The governor met with legislative leaders for breakfast last week — indicating a there is a path forward to passing supplemental policy and budget bills and a bonding bill — but it will be difficult as more bipartisan cooperation is needed as the deadline approaches. Legislative leaders have also suggested that we are seeing typical end-of-session activity, where bills tend to pile up at the end. But they expect to finish their work before legislative days run out or they are constitutionally required to adjourn.

It is typical for legislative sessions to be unpredictable. However, the 2024 legislative session has become more unpredictable than usual. Sen. Nicole Mitchell (Woodbury) was arrested and charged with first-degree burglary in late April. While Sen. Mitchell is present and participating in Senate floor votes, Senate DFL leadership relieved her of her committee assignments and barred her from attending caucus meetings. Republican leaders have called on Sen. Mitchell to resign and continue to protest her participation on Senate Floor votes. An ethics complaint was filed and was heard by the Senate Rules and Administration Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct on May 7 (along with a separate ethics complaint for Sen. Glenn Gruenhagen). The committee ended without a ruling on the Sen. Mitchell complaint; instead, a June 12 meeting is scheduled to discuss the complaint further. By then, Sen. Mitchell is set to appear in court on June 10. With a slim 34-33 DFL margin of control in the Senate, the impact of Sen. Mitchell being absent would have surely created uncertainty as to the ability of the Senate to pass supplemental budget bills, controversial policy bills, and a capital investment bill during the remaining days of session.

 

OTHER UPDATES

On Monday, April 29, Gov. Walz tapped Tikki Brown, an assistant commissioner in the Department of Human Services, to be the first commissioner of Minnesota’s new Department of Children, Youth and Families. The department is set to begin on July 1 with Brown leading a team that will complete the transition of programs for caregivers and young children that are currently part of four state agencies: Human Services, Education, Public Safety and Health. Brown expects the full transition to take a year. With over two decades of experience in Human Services, Brown is ready to begin working toward a full transition by 2025.

 

DATES TO REMEMBER

Adjournment: May 20, 2024

 

LEGISLATIVE RETIREMENTS

For an up-to-date list of legislative retirements, please visit the Legislative Reference Library’s list of retirements.

Notable retirements include:

  • Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn, current House Judiciary and Public Safety Chair
  • Rep. Brian Daniels, current minority lead, Children and Families Finance & Policy
  • Rep. Pat Garofalo, current minority lead, House Ways and Means
  • Rep. Matt Grossell
  • Rep. Hodan Hassan, current House Economic Development Finance & Policy Committee Chair
  • Rep. Frank Hornstein, current House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee Chair
  • Rep. Shane Hudella
  • Rep. Deb Kiel, current minority lead, House Human Services Policy
  • Rep. Michael Nelson, current Labor and Industry Finance & Policy Committee Chair
  • Rep. Anne Neu Brindley, current minority lead, Human Services Finance Committee
  • Rep. Jerry Newton, current House Veterans and Military Affairs Finance & Policy Committee Chair
  • Rep. Liz Olson, current House Ways and Means Committee Chair
  • Rep. Gene Pelowski, current Higher Education Chair and most senior House member
  • Rep. John Petersburg, current minority lead, Transportation Finance & Policy Committee
  • Rep. Laurie Pryor, current House Education Policy Committee Chair
  • Rep. Brian Pfarr
  • Rep. Dean Urdahl, current minority lead, House Capital Investment Committee

Two members have left the legislature since the 2023 Legislative Session adjourned in May 2023:

  • Rep. Ruth Richardson (DFL-Mendota Heights) resigned Sept. 1, 2023. This seat was won by Rep. Bianca Virnig (DFL-Eagan), who was seated on Jan. 12, 2024.
  • Former Speaker and House Minority Leader Rep. Kurt Daudt resigned Feb. 11, 2024. This seat was won by Rep. Bryan Lawrence (GOP–Princeton), who was sworn in on April 2, 2024.

Three members are seeking a different office in 2024:

  • Rep. Heather Edelson, current Vice Chair House Ways and Means, is seeking the office of Hennepin County Commissioner for District 6. Edelson recently won the primary for position.
  • Sen. Kelly Morrison, current Assistant Majority Leader, is running for the 3rd U.S. Congressional District. Morrison recently won the DFL endorsement for the district.
  • Rep. Mark Wiens is seeking the office of Washington County Commissioner for District 3.

 

HELPFUL RESOURCES

To find your legislators, visit Who Represents Me

For bills that have been presented to the Governor for a signature, visit the
Legislation Tracker / Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan (mn.gov)

For updates on activities at the House of Representatives, visit the
House Session Daily website

For updates on Activities at the Senate, visit Senate Media Services

For House Committee and Floor Session Video, visit the
House of Representatives YouTube Channel

For Senate Committee and Floor Session Video, visit the Senate YouTube Channel

Let's Get Started!
Loading...