Minnesota Legislature
More omnibus bills combined as House moves to align with Senate
With conference committees looming after next week’s Easter/Passover Break, the House Ways and Means Committee continued combining omnibus bills Wednesday.
That provoked some consternation as the committee incorporated the omnibus housing finance bill, HF1151, into HF2200, the omnibus agriculture and food finance bill.
HF2200, sponsored by Rep. Jeanne Poppe (DFL-Austin), was approved as amended and sent to the House Floor.
Rep. Lyndon Carlson Sr. (DFL-Crystal), the committee chair, said the merging would better align House bills with the Senate’s committee structure.
That didn’t sit well with everyone.
The move prevents a “clean vote,” on the agriculture bill, Rep. Rod Hamilton (R-Mountain Lake) said after the two omnibus bills were merged.
If the bill is passed by the House it would likely be sent to conference committee in hopes of reconciling with SF2226, the omnibus agriculture department, rural development, and housing finance bill sponsored by Sen. Torrey Westrom (R-Elbow Lake).
Previous combinations
The combining of omnibus bills began Monday, when the House Ways and Means Committee incorporated the omnibus energy and climate finance and policy bills, HF1986 and HF1833, into HF2208, the omnibus jobs and economic development finance bill.
That bill, sponsored by Rep. Tim Mahoney (DFL-St. Paul), awaits action by the full House.
Also Wednesday, HF2209, the omnibus environment and natural resources bill, was approved and sent to the House Floor.
Sponsored by Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL-South St. Paul), it was amended to include the omnibus environment and natural resources policy bill, HF1656, sponsored by Rep. John Persell (DFL-Bemidji).
The House Ways and Means Committee is scheduled to act on the omnibus higher education, judiciary and public safety bills Thursday. Omnibus bills for state government finance, veterans and military finance and taxes are to be before the committee Friday.
House Public Information Services writer Victoria Cooney contributed to this story.
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