Dear Neighbor,
Greetings from the Capitol. The Legislature is back in session after a brief break in observance of the Easter and Passover holidays.
Thank you to all those who have participated in the legislative survey I posted earlier this session to receive input on the issues. I plan to close out the survey on Thursday afternoon and collect the responses so, if you haven’t already done so, please click here and weigh in on the issues. Your feedback will be helpful as we make some major decisions over the next several weeks on the final shape of the next two-year state budget.
To get you up to speed in St. Paul, the House and Senate both have completed initial passage of 11 omnibus finance bills which fund various areas of the state’s budget for the next two years. Joint House-Senate conference committees are being assembled today. I am honored to have been appointed by the Speaker to serve on the House-Senate conference committee on agriculture finance.
Each of the conference committees will begin meeting this week to reconcile differences between House and Senate versions of each bill. Once that work is complete, the bills are reported out to the respective bodies for consideration. Those will be up or down votes and, upon approval, they will be sent to the governor.
Look for more news as budget work and other issues develop.
Sincerely,
Dale