Dear Neighbors,
Greetings to you from the Capitol! Legislators returned to the Capitol from break this week to begin the Conference Committee process on the major omnibus bills that will fund our state budget for the next two years. The Speaker of the House appoints five Representatives and the Majority Leader in the Senate appoints five Senators to each conference committee. These committees are given the task of resolving differences between the Senate and House versions of the various budget bills.
Higher Ed Conference Committee Appointment
I have been appointed as the only House DFL member on the Conference Committee for the Higher Education Omnibus Bill. There are numerous concerns I have about the Higher Ed Omnibus Bill that Republicans passed in the House, and I appreciate the chance to give a voice to those concerns in the conference committee process on behalf of the many students that live in our district. In the coming weeks I will work to find solutions that better address issues in higher education, including rising costs and debt, which I’ve discussed with so many of you.
If you have yet to voice your concerns about the Higher Education budget, you can still reach out to members of the conference committee and make your voice heard. The House members are listed below:
SF 2214 - Omnibus Higher Education Finance bill: Bud Nornes (Chair), Drew Christensen, Brian Daniels, Abigail Whelan, and Ilhan Omar.
The nonpartisan House Public Information Office has assembled a rundown of the various budget bills and their path forward, which you can read about here.
Other Conference Committee Representatives appointed this week are listed below:
- HF 4 - Omnibus Tax Bill: Davids (Chair), Drazkowski, McDonald, Hertaus, and Marquart
- HF 861 - Omnibus Transportation Finance bill: Torkelson (Chair), Runbeck, Petersburg, Koznick, and Howe (No DFL Representative appointed)
- HF 888 - Omnibus Environment and Natural Resources Finance bill: Fabian (Chair), Heintzeman, Swedzinski, Uglem, and Ecklund
- HF 890 - Omnibus E-12 Education Finance bill: Loon (Chair), Erickson, Bennett, Kresha, and Murphy, M.
- SF 605 - Omnibus State Government Finance bill: Anderson, S. (Chair), O'Driscoll, Dettmer, Fenton, and Nash (No DFL Representative appointed)
- SF 780 - Omnibus Agriculture Finance bill: Hamilton (Chair), Anderson, P., Lueck, Backer, and Poppe
- SF 800 - Omnibus HHS Finance bill: Dean, M. (Chair), Schomacker, Albright, Kiel, and Schultz
- SF 803 - Omnibus Public Safety Finance bill: Cornish (Chair), Johnson, B., Zerwas, Scott, and Hilstrom
- SF 1937 - Omnibus Jobs and Economic Development bill: Garofalo (Chair), Newberger, Hoppe, O'Neill, and Mahoney
Preemption Resurfaces at the Capitol to Cut Earned Benefits
Yesterday, the Minnesota Senate passed HF 600, which would preempt local governments from setting workplace policies. I was a strong no vote on this bill when it came before us in the House. This ALEC model legislation is the top priority of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce in 2017. The Chamber is defying the many small businesses in Minneapolis that supported earned sick and safe leave policies and is instead supporting their major corporate donors who want to squash these pro-worker policies wherever they arise.
Please call Governor Dayton and tell him you support the ability of local communities to set their own fair labor standards. He needs to hear from you about these bills currently moving at the Capitol, and I would encourage you to call Governor Dayton's office and share your concerns at 651-201-3400.
If enacted, it would prevent local communities like Minneapolis from enacting earned sick leave, paid family leave, fair scheduling, and a higher minimum wage, among others. Earned sick time for 150,000 Minnesotans would be taken away, and future wage and benefit increases prevented.
Stay Connected
You can always contact me at rep.ilhan.omar@house.mn or at 651-296-4257. I appreciate hearing from you.
Please follow me on facebook and twitter to stay up to date and receive action alerts.
Sincerely,
Ilhan Omar
State Representative