With 18 days left, pace quickens with 'aggressive' conference committee schedule

Up to 18 days remain in 2019 legislative session until the constitutionally mandated adjournment on May 20.

That means the buzz around the Capitol is for lawmakers and staff to prepare for long hours, including working on evenings and weekends.

“The clock is ticking,” House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley) said at a Thursday morning press conference where he and House Speaker Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park) announced what they characterized as “an aggressive conference committee schedule.”

Winkler and Hortman revealed meeting times and dates for four conference committee meetings on bills that are House files:

Friday’s conference committee schedule:

• 9 a.m. – omnibus health and human services finance bill, in room 1200 of the Minnesota Senate Building;
• 9 a.m. – omnibus tax bill, in room G-15 of the State Capitol
• 1 p.m. – omnibus jobs and economic development, energy and climate, and telecommunications policy and finance bill, in room 10 of the State Office Building.  

Sunday’s conference committee schedule:

• 4 p.m. – omnibus education finance bill, room 5 of the State Office Building.

Hortman said the need to get a quick start on conference committee work is driven by a second legislative deadline, which is to arrive at joint budget targets by Monday, May 6. That date is the second legislative deadline agreed to in early February by legislative leaders and Gov. Tim Walz.

[WATCH DFL leaders discuss their plans for conference committees]

[MORE Follow conference committee activity]

[MORE Check out the combined legislative meeting calendar]

Major differences exist on many issues

At this point in the session, the majority of legislative work is focused on conference committees to work out differences between DFL-controlled House and Republican-controlled Senate versions of omnibus bills. Sticking points are many, with the two legislative chambers at odds over:

• Transportation -- House has a gas tax increase, Senate does not;
• Health care – House would keep in place a 2 percent tax on medical providers, the Senate sunsets it; the House would ban "conversion therapy" of minors or vulnerable adults, Senate would not; and the House has discounts for those in the individual insurance market, Senate continues a reinsurance program;
• Public safety – House legislation has two gun-control measures, Senate has none; and
• Public schools – House legislation has a 3 percent boost in the per-pupil funding formula, Senate has a 0.5 percent increase.