Back from break, Ways and Means Committee begins merging omnibus bills for House Floor

With just under six weeks (at most) left in the legislative session, much budget work has now been funneled to the House Ways and Means Committee, a final opportunity to shape omnibus bills before they hit the House Floor.

It’s also an opportunity to better match with similar topical omnibus bills moving through the Senate. That is why five bills on the committee docket became four Tuesday.

Sponsored by Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL-South St. Paul), HF2310, the omnibus environment and natural resources finance and policy bill, was amended to include the omnibus climate and energy finance bill.

That bill was then approved, as amended, on a split-voice vote and sent to the House Floor.

Before the bills were combined, the committee also adopted an amendment to the climate and energy omnibus bill which would codify an agreement between Xcel Energy and the Prairie Island Indian Community about payments for storage of nuclear waste. But Rep. Patty Acomb (DFL-Minnetonka), the bill sponsor, said the Senate may have a different take and conversations on the issue would continue.

Also receiving committee approval, as amended, was HF3100, the omnibus pensions bill sponsored by Rep. Kaohly Vang Her (DFL-St. Paul).

The committee is scheduled to have hearings on several other budget bills this week as well.

Wednesday at 9 a.m.:

• HF1723 – the omnibus elections finance and policy bill;
• HF1937 – the omnibus veterans and military affairs budget bill;
• HF1830 – the omnibus state and local government finance bill;

(The plan is to combine the three bills above into one)

• HF2887 – the omnibus transportation finance bill.

Thursday at 9 a.m.:

• HF238 – the omnibus children and families finance bill;
• HF2335 – the omnibus housing finance bill; and
• HF2497 – the omnibus education finance bill.

All other omnibus bills are expected to be heard by the committee next week.