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State Representative Tim Kelly
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-8635
For more information contact: Jason Wenisch 651-296-2317
NEWS COLUMN
CONFERENCE COMMITTEES SHAPING IMPORTANT BILLS AT LEGISLATURE
I always appreciate your feedback and comments when I send out these legislative updates. It’s great to have constituents staying in touch and being involved in the process.
This week, many provisions I’ve discussed in previous updates are making their way off the House floor for the final time and to Governor Dayton for his signature or veto.
Before a bill becomes law, it must pass both the House and the Senate. If the bill was amended in some way in one of the bodies, and is not an identical match to its companion in the opposite body, a conference committee must be called. This conference committee is made up of equal members of the House and Senate, and its task is to work out the differences between the two bills and come up with a proposal that both bodies can approve.
This conference committee report is then presented for a yes or no vote in both the House and Senate. If both bodies approve, it is sent to the Governor’s Office.
This process of crafting compromise legislation is happening on several bills. A conference committee report requiring photo identification before voting was recently approved by both bodies, and voters will now have the opportunity this fall to decide whether or not this provision should be amended to our Constitution.
Another important report that would eliminate the school payment shift extension that was enacted to help balance our budget last session is also on its way to the Governor. The proposal would take $430 million out of budget reserves and return it to the schools, which we are now able to do since Minnesota’s economy has made a $6 billion turnaround and we now have $1 billion sitting in reserves.
The proposal that eliminates the last in, first out provision when it comes to teacher layoffs is almost finished in conference committee. The legislation removes statutory language requiring school districts to focus solely on employee’s seniority during layoffs, and elevates teacher performance when a district is forced to eliminate employees.
As the end of session nears, lawmakers expect to see, and sometimes serve, on many conference committees. This behind the scenes sausage making isn’t particularly glamorous, but it is necessary in order to get identical legislation passed by both bodies and sent to the Governor.
News Items
- CONFERENCE COMMITTEES SHAPING IMPORTANT BILLS AT LEGISLATURE - (Posted: 2012-04-05 00:00:00)
- TAX RELIEF AND JOB CREATION BILL APPROVED IN MINNESOTA HOUSE - (Posted: 2012-03-22 00:00:00)
- MORE GOOD NEWS FOUND IN LATEST STATE BUDGET FORECAST - (Posted: 2012-03-06 00:00:00)
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