Minnesota lawmakers are heading into deadline week, where proposals without a price tag reach a funnel.
Bills without backing in both chambers could begin to fall away. That means proposals to limit firearms, weed out fraud or place restrictions on federal immigration agents in the state could be set aside or have to get through a tougher gauntlet.
In the first five weeks of the legislative session, lawmakers have had extensive debate on proposals that are priorities for the two major parties in the narrowly-divived Legislature. They’ve run into frequent standstills. Without bipartisan backing in House committees, nothing can advance.
Committees are expected to work long hours this week ahead of the 5 p.m. deadline on Friday. There are longer deadlines for bills that affect state spending and there can be workarounds for bills that come late or generate consensus that they should advance despite missing the deadline.
The funnel is intended to narrow lawmakers’ focus as they enter the final stretch of the legislative session.
“Deadlines always spur action in this place,” House DFL Leader Zack Stepheson said. “It does sharpen the mind, and it does bring some clarity. And I think it will help us move forward to have something that presses us to action.”
But election-year antics will also drive efforts to tack on amendments to bills that make it through the first sieve or to fold them into end-of-session policy packages.
Here’s a look at where some big issues stand ahead of deadline week.
Fraud prevention and oversight
Fraud prevention and oversight of state programs have been a key issue for all four legislative caucuses and Gov. Tim Walz.
They’ve pitched packages of proposals aimed at detecting possible misuse of state money and rooting it out, as well as for enhancing some penalties for those who would aim to defraud the state.
One through line across all of those proposals is a call to create a new watchdog office over all of state government. There is some dispute about the details of an Office of the Inspector General, such as whether it should have a law enforcement division housed within it. But there is broad consensus that lawmakers should create the office.
The measure will have more time to move forward because it has a price tag to set up the office.
Other measures setting up new oversight and program transparency are expected to clear committees this week if they haven’t already. Stephenson, of Coon Rapids, said he expects something will happen on fraud, particularly in light of Walz making it a big emphasis of his supplemental budget.
“I think that some of the ideas that he's put forward on fraud certainly should have bipartisan support,” Stephenson said.
School safety and guns
Lawmakers have focused this session on measures that can improve school safety and prevent gun violence and tied them to high-profile tragedies.
Those include the June assassination of House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the attempted assassination of Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, as well as the August shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School.
Efforts to boost funding to mental health resources for young people and to shore up school safety measures have picked up bipartisan support, as have proposals to create an anonymous threat reporting system.
House Republicans said they’ll oppose efforts to restrict access to firearms, specifically bills aiming to ban assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines.
“Bills that are taking away the right of law-abiding Minnesotans to defend themselves are not bills that have support in the House. We think the place that we should be focusing on school safety, and it's urgent to do so,” said House Republican Caucus Leader Harry Niska, of Ramsey. “It’s urgent that we make sure that schools are secure, that we’re giving schools the resources in every school, not just public schools.”
Democrats said they’re talking to Republicans planning to retire or who are in swing districts in an effort to move the bills.
“I don’t think that we're ever going to get leadership-level cooperation on gun violence prevention,” Stephenson said. “I remain hopeful that we will find a path with some rank-and-file Republicans. I just have to believe that there’s at least one Republican out there who’s listening to the Annunciation families and to the community and will be ready to do the right thing.”
In the DFL-led Senate, the gun restriction bills could still advance and end up being tucked into broader legislation that will wind up in House-Senate negotiations later. There’s also a good chance they get pushed as House floor amendments, to at least get lawmakers on the record.
Federal immigration enforcement follow-up
Following the surge of federal immigration agents in Minnesota, Democrats have proposed several measures restricting federal agents in the state, providing broader legal recourse to those affected by those operations and providing financial help to small businesses and workers.
Meanwhile, Republicans have sought to require local law enforcement cooperation with federal officials. They argue that could’ve prevented some of the issues that took place as part of “Operation Metro Surge,” including the deaths of two U.S. citizens and arrests of dozens of citizens and people authorized to be in the country.
Most of the bills are stalled. Niska said he doesn’t expect measures aiming to restrict federal agents would find support in his caucus.
“Efforts by the state of Minnesota to regulate the federal government, we don’t think are productive uses of our time and energy and effort here at the state Legislature,” Niska said.
Again, the measures could advance in the DFL-led Senate and return as part of end-of-session negotiations or floor amendments in the House.
How to keep track
You can track committee meetings scheduled for this week via the Legislature’s combined calendar. Meetings will be streamed over Senate Media Services and Minnesota House Video. MPR News will also have coverage throughout the week and through the conclusion of the legislative session. Lawmakers must adjourn on or before May 18.
MPR News reporter Peter Cox contributed to this report.
