Updated Supplemental Budget

Following the news that Minnesota’s projected budget surplus grew substantially in recent months, Governor Tim Walz released an updated supplemental budget proposal on Thursday. Notably, his proposal to issue one-time “Walz checks” grew by more than $1.3 billion, with checks in the amount of $500 per adult. Republicans continue to oppose this proposal, instead advocating for ongoing tax relief.

Unemployment Insurance NOT Replenished (Yet)

March 15 was the much-publicized deadline for legislative leaders and Governor Walz to find agreement on replenishment of the unemployment insurance trust fund. March 15 has come and gone, and there is still no agreement. That deadline was announced because it was the date that employers were set to be notified of the amount of their first quarter unemployment insurance bill. However, those bills aren’t required to be paid until April 30, which is the date that Minnesota House leadership is now stating is the real deadline. We’ll have to wait and see if an agreement can be reached by then.

More Deadlines Approaching

One week from today, on March 25, legislative committees have their first policy bill deadline. In order to meet the deadline, legislative proposals are to have passed out of all policy committees of jurisdiction in either the House or the Senate by the end of next week. Second and third deadlines follow in close succession, on April 1 and April 8.

Becoming More Open

Monday, March 21, will be a day of change for legislators, staff and lobbyists in Minnesota: the Minnesota House of Representatives will be open to the public after being closed for more than two years. The Senate DFL Caucus announced they would unlock the doors to their office suites on the same day and, in anticipation of more people being in the Capitol complex, the Capitol’s cafeteria, the Rathskellar, is opening as well.

CD 1 Special Election Candidates Set

Twenty candidates have filed for office to complete the remaining term of Congressman Jim Hagedorn, following his death last month. Two of those candidates will head straight to the general election ballot, while the other 18 will face off in a primary election on May 24. Among the ten Republican candidates who filed to run, there are two current members of the Minnesota House (Jeremy Munson and Nels Pierson), a former member (Brad Finstad), and Congressman Hagedorn’s widow (Jennifer Carnahan). DFL candidates include a former CEO of Hormel (Jeff Ettinger) and a former associate counsel for then-President George W. Bush (Richard Painter).

March 18, 2022