Legislative Update: Halfway Through a Short but Busy Session

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Legislative Update: Halfway Through a Short but Busy Session"

Tracy Atkinson
5 years ago
Views:

2 Page 2 of 11 Legislative Update: Halfway Through a Short but Busy Session House bill introductions hit record number for a biennium, but few new laws have yet to reach the governor s desk. The Minnesota Legislature reached the halfway point in the 2018 session last week as it adjourned for the Easter/Passover recess. As legislators return to St. Paul today, April 9, they face a mountain of potential legislation with only six weeks remaining in the regular session. Bill introductions reach record high As of March 29, House members have introduced 4,323 bills over the course of the two-year legislative biennium, eclipsing the previous record of 4,256 bill introductions during the biennium, which is an average of more than 32 bill introductions per member. Senators have introduced 3,884 bills, which is just shy of the record of 3,895 with six weeks remaining in the session. On average, each senator has introduced nearly 58 bills over the course of the legislative biennium. There is no limit to the number of bills that a legislator can introduce, and bills can be introduced until the session adjourns. However, late bill introductions are generally unlikely to receive hearings in committees. Committee deadlines The first two legislative deadlines, by which bills must receive favorable actions in policy committees, have passed in both the House and the Senate. During the first deadline week, which ended on March 22, House and Senate committees considered more than 450 bills. The second deadline, which occurred on March 29, included hearings on more than 400 bills. Although bills that were not favorably reported out of all policy committees in both the House and Senate by the second deadline on March 29 are technically dead for the session, authors can seek special dispensation from the committee deadlines in the Rules committees in the House and Senate. The first two committee deadlines do not apply to the House Capital Investment, Ways and Means, Taxes, or Rules committees or to the Senate Capital Investment, Finance, Taxes, or Rules and Administration committees. These committees will become a larger focal point for committee activity in the coming weeks. The third committee deadline, which is April 20, is the date by which committees must act favorably on major appropriation and finance bills.

3 Page 3 of 11 New chapters of law Despite the record number of bill introductions, the House and Senate have only sent three chapters of new law to the governor, including new laws to fund the House and Senate, fund the Minnesota Licensing and Registration system, and ratify state labor agreements. All three chapters have been signed into law by Gov. Dayton. The slow progress on final action on bills is not unusual. During the committee deadlines, the House and Senate generally reserve time for committee hearings, while floor sessions are largely used to process bills for further committee action. Many bills have completed the committee process and are awaiting action on the House and Senate floors. The House currently has 141 bills on the general register, which is a list of bills that are awaiting floor action, while the Senate has 138 bills on its general orders list awaiting floor action. League staff will summarize all final legislative activity (and items of city interest that did not become law) in its annual Law Summaries (Link to: which will be published in June. What s ahead? The Legislature will now focus on its supplemental budget, a bonding bill and a tax bill, including provisions related to federal tax conformity (Link to: The final six weeks will also be punctuated with longer floor sessions as the Legislature approves and sends more legislation to the governor. These longer floor sessions can be a good time to communicate with your legislators via (Link to: on issues that are important to your city. Watch the League Cities Bulletin, Capitol Updates, and action alert s (Link to: as the session intensifies over the next six weeks. Read the current issue of the Cities Bulletin (Link to:

4 Page 4 of 11 Sign Up Now for 2018 Policy Committees City staff and elected officials are encouraged to join these groups that meet three times during the summer to develop the League s legislative platform. (Published Jun 5, 2017) Dates are set for the 2018 League legislative policy committee meetings. Join your city colleagues for great discussion about municipal legislative issues. Last year, more than 150 city officials from all around the state participated in the four committees that set the legislative policies for the League s lobbying efforts. Sign up for a policy committee now (Link to: Important note for members who served last year: Please sign up to confirm your participation again this year, even if you served last year. Here are answers to some common questions about policy committees: Who can be on a policy committee? Current city officials and staff are eligible. City councilmembers, mayors, city administrators, assistant city administrators, clerks, human resource staff, municipal elections officials, public safety staff, engineers, finance directors, economic development staff, and others have been members of the committees. Committee members can be new to their city position, have many years of experience, or be somewhere in between. While any member city may have more than one person serving on a committee, each city will have only one vote on policies or other committee business. What typically happens during each of the three committee meetings? At the first meeting in July, members hear a briefing of the previous legislative session from LMC staff, network with one another by sharing issues of interest that are related to the committee, and begin to look at policies to edit, delete, or add. At the second meeting in August, members usually hear from guest speakers from state agencies, interest groups, legislators, and other local officials to learn more about a specific issue of interest to the group. During the third meeting in September, members continue their work discussing edits to existing or new policies and vote to approve their policies. What happens after the third policy committee meeting? The League s Board of Directors hears about the work of each policy committee during a fall meeting, typically in October. Then, the draft policies are open for

5 Page 5 of 11 comment by all League members. Member comments are compiled in early November, and then the LMC Board makes the final adoption of the policies. During the next legislative session, the League s IGR staff use the policies to guide the League s legislative efforts at the Capitol. When and where are the meetings? Improving Service Delivery Committee (Link to: Monday mornings: July 30, Aug. 27, Sept. 17, 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Improving Local Economies Committee (Link to: Tuesdays mornings: July 31, Aug. 28, Sept. 18, 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Human Resources & Data Practices Committee (Link to: Tuesdays afternoons: July 31, Aug. 28, Sept. 18, 1:30-4 p.m. Improving Fiscal Futures Committee (Link to: Wednesday mornings: Aug. 1, Aug. 29, Sept. 19, 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. All policy committee meetings are in the St. Croix Room, which is located on the first floor of the League building in St. Paul. What if I can t attend each meeting in person? We offer GoTo Meeting, which is an online option for all meetings. Many members use this option to remain involved in committee discussions, regardless of their ability to come to the League s office in St. Paul. What topics does each committee address? The topics include, but are not limited to, the following: Improving Service Delivery Committee: unfunded mandates, environmental mandates, elections, charter law, data privacy, government innovation and cooperation, and public safety. Improving Local Economies Committee: growth management, land use, boundary adjustments, housing, transportation, economic development, and telecommunications. Improving Fiscal Futures Committee: municipal financial management, property and other taxes, state aid programs, and financial reporting requirements. Human Resources & Data Practices Committee: employment law, labor relations, data practices, Open Meeting Law, personnel, and pensions.

6 Page 6 of 11 Read the current issue of the Cities Bulletin (Link to: Your LMC Resource Contact Laura Ziegler Sr. IGR Liaison (651) or (800) lziegler@lmc.org (Link to: mailto:lziegler@lmc.org) Contact Heather Corcoran IGR Member Outreach Coordinator (651) or (800) hcorcoran@lmc.org (Link to: mailto:hcorcoran@lmc.org)

7 Page 7 of 11 Bill Adding Local Sales Tax to LGA Formula to Be Heard This Week Cities with local option sales taxes would receive less local government aid under the phased-in adjustment. (Published Apr 9, 2018) The House Property Tax and Local Government Finance Division (Link to: will hear HF 3830 (Link to: on April 11. The bill, offered by Rep. Cal Bahr (Link to: (R-East Bethel), would include local option sales tax revenue in the local government aid (LGA) formula measure of tax capacity, thereby reducing LGA to cities with local option sales taxes. The bill is co-authored by Reps. Steve Drazkowski (R-Mazeppa), Eric Lucero (R- Dayton), Cindy Pugh (R-Chanhassen), Jerry Hertaus (R-Greenfield) and Jeremy Munson (R-Lake Crystal). League legislative policies support the current LGA formula, and the League will testify in opposition to the bill. Adjustment made in phases Under the bill, local option sales tax revenue will be phased in to the LGA formula over a five-year period. Beginning with the 2019 LGA distribution, each city with a local sales tax will have its tax capacity increased by 20 percent of the sales taxes received by the city in the calendar year In each succeeding year, an additional 20 percent of the sales taxes received two years prior to the LGA distribution will be added to the formula calculation. House Research projections According to House Research, in the first year of the phase-in under the bill, roughly $3 million in LGA will be shifted away from cities with local sales taxes to all other cities. When fully phased in, the amount of LGA shifted between cities will total roughly $39 million. House Research has not yet posted a city-by-city run on the impacts of the bill. However, the structure of the LGA formula, including limits on annual losses and the phase-in of the consideration of local sales tax revenues, will likely buffer the impact on the LGA formula distribution for cities with local sales taxes.

8 Page 8 of 11 For more background information about this bill, read a previous Cities Bulletin article (Link to: Read the current issue of the Cities Bulletin (Link to: Your LMC Resource Contact Gary Carlson IGR Director (651) or (800) gcarlson@lmc.org (Link to: mailto:gcarlson@lmc.org)

Page 9 of 11 MnDOT Announces 2018 Construction Projects Projects include road repaving, bridge repair and rehabilitation, culvert replacements, and dozens of multimodal projects.

9 Page 9 of 11 MnDOT Announces 2018 Construction Projects Projects include road repaving, bridge repair and rehabilitation, culvert replacements, and dozens of multimodal projects. (Published Apr 9, 2018) The Minnesota Department of Transportation (Link to: (MnDOT) on April 4 announced $1.1 billion in state road and bridge projects that will be worked on across Minnesota this year. Many of the 253 projects identified are already underway. MnDOT also announced 49 multimodal projects valued at $32 million. These include airport, port, and railroad projects that are outside of the state road construction program. Transportation funding deficit persists Despite the large construction program this year, the long-term transportation funding picture remains bleak compared to the system s needs. In 2017, Gov. Dayton and the Legislature provided an additional $640 million in trunk highway bonding over the next four years as well as $164 million in cash. This additional funding will reduce Minnesota s annual $600 million transportation funding gap by $200 million for each of the next four years. However, Minnesota s $600 million annual funding gap will resume in Twin Cities projects This year s construction program features several road and bridge projects in the Twin Cities metro area, including: Interstate 94 (Link to: : Upgrade infrastructure, improve transit service on I-35 W and Lake Street, and provide better access into the Lake Street Business District. Highway 169 Belle Plaine (Link to: : Repair or replace concrete pavement, construct a reduced conflict intersection, and install cable median barrier between Jordan and Belle Plaine. Highway 169 Champlin (Link to: : Replace Elm Creek bridges, realign Highway 169 between the Mississippi River and East Hayden Lake Road, and construct a pedestrian/bicycle underpass beneath Highway 169 at West River Road. I-35 North Metro split (Link to: : Resurface six miles of interstate from just south of the I-35 split at Forest Lake to a half-mile north of Highway 8, and replace three bridges.

10 Page 10 of 11 Greater Minnesota projects Greater Minnesota will also see a lot of construction work on roads and bridges this summer, including: North I-35 Snake River (Link to: : Construct two new bridges at Snake River and resurface seven miles of I-35. Highway 38 (Link to: : Resurface pavement, provide intersection improvements, and replace 41 culverts. Highway 61 Two Harbors (Link to: : Replace signals in Two Harbors, add turn lanes, resurface highway, make sidewalk and accessibility improvements, and create new entrance at Campground Road. Highway 194 Duluth (Link to: : Reconfigure lanes to eliminate current weave, rehabilitate bridges, repair concrete pavement and storm sewers, and make accessibility improvements. Highway 72-International Bridge (Link to: : Work with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation to conduct a preliminary design and environmental study for the replacement of the Baudette/Rainy River International Bridge. Highway 2 East Grand Forks (Link to: : Replace Kennedy Bridge deck. Central Highway 10 Elk River bridge (Link to: : Reconstruct the bridge over Lake Orono and resurface road west of Joplin. Highway 10 Clear Lake to Big Lake (Link to: : Reconstruct 14 miles of eastbound road surface, including shoulders, and add reduced conflict intersection at County Road 23 in Becker. Highways 28, 29, 104 in Glenwood (Link to: : Resurface highways, reconstruct downtown using a Complete Streets concept, add new signal system, make accessibility improvements, and mitigate floodprone area near Pope County Fairgrounds. U.S. 71 North in Kandiyohi County (Link to: : Resurface highway, construct turning and bypass lanes, and construct a pedestrian underpass. Highway 19/Highway 71 in Redwood Falls (Link to: : Construct two-way left turn

11 Page 11 of 11 South lanes, install new signal system at County Road 101, and make accessibility improvements. Highway 63 Red Wing Bridge (Link to: : Replace Highway 63 bridges over the Mississippi River and Highway 61, and realign the approach roads. Highway 63 (Link to: : Repave Highway 63 between Rochester and Zumbro Falls, and replace four culverts. I-35 at Faribault (Link to: : Pave four miles of southbound I-35 at Faribault. Highway 14/Highway 15 New Ulm Gateway (Link to: : Replace New Ulm river bridge, Front Street Bridge, and build interchange at Highway 14/Highway 15/County Road 21. Highway 22 Mapleton to Mankato (Link to: : Construct roundabout at County Road 90, add left turn lanes, and resurface from County Road 15 to County Road 90. Highway 60 Windom to St. James (Link to: : Complete four-lane expansion. Get a complete list of projects by highway, as well as construction schedules, traffic impacts, maps, benefits, and costs (Link to: Read the current issue of the Cities Bulletin (Link to: Your LMC Resource Contact Anne Finn Assistant IGR Director (651) or (800) afinn@lmc.org (Link to: mailto:afinn@lmc.org)

12 Get the League s Updated City Calendar of Important Election Dates Page 1 of 2 Get the League s Updated City Calendar of Important Election Dates With snow slowly melting in Minnesota, the next thing we may see in our yards is election signs. The League s City Calendar of Important Election Dates has been updated for this election cycle and provides city officials a reference to some of the more significant election dates for this year. The calendar is primarily designed for statutory cities, but many items also apply to home rule cities if the charter is silent on election administrative matters. Some important dates to mark on your calendar now: May 22: First day to file for primary election. July 31: First day to file for general election. Aug. 14: Primary election. Nov. 6: General election. And speaking of election signs, June 29 is the first day that non-commercial signs of any size and in any number may be posted in the city regardless of the city s sign regulations. This date represents 46 days before the state primary date in a state general election year. This date applies regardless of whether the municipality conducts the state primary. Download the City Calendar of Important Election Dates (pdf) (Link to: Read the current issue of the Cities Bulletin (Link to: Your LMC Resource Contact Amber Eisenschenk Staff Attorney (651) or (800) aeisenschenk@lmc.org (Link to: mailto:aeisenschenk@lmc.org) Meet our city vendors!

Governor Vetoes Supplemental Budget Bill and Second

Governor Vetoes Supplemental Budget Bill and Second Tax Bill https://www.lmc.org/page/1/omnibusbillvetoes18.jsp?ssl=true Page 1 of 3 Governor Vetoes Supplemental Budget Bill and Second Tax Bill Some city