Major spending bills realigned

published 4/17/2009

Members of the House Finance Committee split up several of the House’s major spending bills and realigned them to match up with the Senate’s budget proposals. (Watch the meeting.)

HF869, sponsored by Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia), constitutes the omnibus higher education finance bill. The committee removed the workforce development-related portions of the bill and amended them into HF1169, also sponsored by Rukavina.

In addition, HF1169 now contains the housing-related provisions of the omnibus housing and public health finance bill — HF2150, sponsored by Rep. Karen Clark (DFL-Mpls) — as well as portions of the omnibus cultural and outdoor heritage finance bill, HF2229, sponsored by Rep. Mary Murphy (DFL-Hermantown).

The following is a list of the current lineup of appropriations bills in the House:
• omnibus higher education finance bill — HF869
• omnibus workforce development finance bill — HF1169
• omnibus agriculture and veterans finance bill — HF1122
• omnibus environment and energy finance bill — HF2123
• omnibus state government finance bill — HF1781
• omnibus public safety finance bill — HF1657
• omnibus K-12 education finance bill — HF2
• omnibus early childhood finance bill — HF2088
• omnibus health and human services finance bill — HF1362
• omnibus transportation finance bill — HF1309

The committee approved HF869 and referred it to the House Ways and Means Committee. It also approved HF1781, the omnibus state government finance bill, sponsored by Rep. Phyllis Kahn (DFL-Mpls). That bill also awaits action by the House Ways and Means Committee.

- Nick Busse