By Rep. Paul Anderson
No fewer than eight conference committees are scheduled to meet this week at the Capitol. They are sandwiched around floor sessions each day in both the House and Senate. Custom has at least one member of the minority party named to each of these conference committees. It's also custom that if one wants to be selected to serve on a conference committee, they should also vote for that particular bill on final passage in each body.
A bit of a dust-up occurred when conferees were named for the Jobs and Energy Conference Committee. Not one Republican was selected, which went against long-standing tradition. I don't think any of our members voted for the bill as it left the House, but we were still assured that we'd be represented. What's even more telling is that of the five DFL members named to the conference committee, all five reside in either Hennepin or Ramsey counties.
So much for having a Greater Minnesota voice helping to determine the final make-up of this important piece of legislation! One other rather unusual feature of these DFL conferees is that three of them are freshmen legislators in their very first year of service. Being a freshman and being named to a conference committee is unusual, but having three on one committee is something I've never before seen.
We met the deadline of having all the major finance bills finished in both Houses by May 1. The next deadline – and the one that's really important – was set for Monday, May 6. That's when joint spending targets are supposed to be agreed upon for all the finance bills. That means the House, the Senate and Gov. Tim Walz are to have reached agreement on the amount of new spending and new taxes or tax cuts. I think this key goal is going to be important to achieve because it sets the stage for all the bills to be finalized. When one knows exactly how much can be spent, you just have to prioritize where it goes. Same thing with taxes. When you know how much tax revenue is coming in, that's in effect the bottom line, and tells where those spending targets can be set.
There are so many major differences between the bills passed in the two chambers. The House DFL transportation bill calls for that infamous 20-cent gas tax increase. The Senate says that's a non-starter. The House has other major increases in spending, along with sweeping policy changes, that don't have companion language in the Senate. These are major policy changes, such as paid family leave, gun control, driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants, and sex education for students as young as elementary age.
It's going to take a great deal of compromise by all parties involved to reach agreement by May 20, the date when we must adjourn. There is just such a wide gap between the two sides in terms of new spending, new taxes, and progressive policy. I'm hopeful we can get done on time, but it's going to be a challenge.
Rep. Anderson may be reached at his legislative office by emailing rep.paul.anderson@house.mn or by calling (651) 296-4317.
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