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State Representative Jeanne Poppe
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4193
For more information contact: Sandy Connolly 651-296-8877
NEWS COLUMN
Understanding an Omnibus Bill
Last week the House passed the first two of several "Omnibus" bills. I thought it might be worthwhile to explain what an omnibus bill is and how this process works.
An omnibus bill is one large piece of legislation that contains many smaller bills, required by the Minnesota Constitution to all be directly related to the same subject. For example, the Higher Education Finance Bill that was passed last week could only contain bills that deal with higher education.
Bills are compiled for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill throughout the legislative session. Sometimes as many as 100 bills can be up for consideration, with the Committee Chair making the decision about what bills make the final cut. This does give the Majority party an edge on what bills are included, as Majority party members serve as committee chairs. The bills that are included are presumed to be reflective of the committee's priorities.
The advantage of the omnibus bill is that several bills can be considered at once, without having to debate each one separately on the House floor. One of the disadvantages is that the original debate on the bill took place when it was heard in committee, sometimes several weeks before the omnibus vote. This can make it difficult to remember all the details and pros and cons about a specific bill.
The other challenge with an omnibus bill is that while a representative may like the bill as a whole, there are often components they would like to reject. There are very often amendments offered, trying to change pieces or even delete completely a section of the omnibus bill. Like it or not, when the amendments are finished and the final bill is presented, we have to consider the big picture and decide if the bill as a whole deserves our support.
This is oftentimes where questions arise. It is important for our constituents to understand what's behind a vote. It can be a matter of weighing if something is "more good than bad" or vice versa. Oftentimes, if the Senate version of the bill contains a component we want, it can get put back in by the Conference Committee.
One omnibus bill that I supported last week was the State Government Finance Bill. This bill provides funding for some of the operations of state government for the next two years. It trims spending in many areas, while giving important increases in military and veterans’ benefits.
Among other provisions, the bill contains full funding of the tuition reimbursement for members of the National Guard and a reenlistment bonus. It also ratifies negotiated labor agreements with correctional guards, state troopers, game wardens, BCA agents, state university faculty and nurses at state facilities. All together, it appropriates $602 million.
There were components of this bill that I did not like, but I felt there was enough good legislation included that I supported the bill. Again, I am hopeful that some of the changes I want to see will happen in Conference Committee.
Last week we also debated the House version of the Omnibus Higher Education Finance Bill. Although there were some positive provisions in this bill, I felt that it did not adequately fund higher education and would result in another year of double digit tuition increases.
Estimates suggest that over the next two years tuition at the University of Minnesota could increase as much as 16 percent and at MnSCU up to 20 percent, under the proposed House Republican higher education budget. Over a five-year period tuition at the University has increased by 80 percent, and over 55% at MnSCU campuses.
Riverland Community College saw a tuition increase in 2002 of 12.1%, followed by 11.6% in '03, 13% in '04 and 13% in '05.
This bill also does not include enrollment adjustments, which is a formula in our state statutes that allows for funding adjustments to be made for changes in enrollment. Because this budget does not fund these changes, our colleges and universities are educating students without receiving the extra money from the state. This also leads to increases in tuition.
These tuition increases are putting higher education out of reach for many of our students and their families. We have to do a better job of investing in the future and adequately fund these critical state institutions.
Please feel free to call or write if you have ideas or concerns you want to share about state or local issues. I can be reached by phone at 1-888-682-3180 or 1-651-296-4193, by mail at 231 State Office Building, 100 Martin Luther King Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155 or via e-mail at the above address. If you are interested in receiving my e-newsletter, please email me at rep.jeanne.poppe@house.mn and your name will be added to our list.
News Items
- POPPE SELECTED AS AGRICULTURE POLICY COMMITTEE CHAIR - (Posted: 2012-11-16 00:00:00)
- Rep. Jeanne Poppe Encourages High School Juniors to Apply for Minnesota House of Representatives Page Program - Application Deadline is November 19th - (Posted: 2012-11-12 00:00:00)
- HORMEL INSTITUTE EXPANSION SIGNED INTO LAW - 2012 legislative session adjourns sine die - (Posted: 2012-05-11 00:00:00)
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