ST. PAUL – April 11 marked the deadline when most spending bills needed to be approved in a Minnesota legislative committee. State Representative Paul Torkelson (R-Hanska), who chairs the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, said the Minnesota House is on track to have finance bills approved once the legislature returns from the Easter/Passover break.
“With an equal number of Republicans and Democrats in the Minnesota House, everything we do continues to make history,” Torkelson said. “It’s almost non-existent to have bipartisan agreement on budget bills, yet that’s exactly what’s going to happen.”
Torkelson notes that for the first time in state history, every House committee has an equal number of Republicans and Democrats members serving, as well as a co-chair.
Torkelson said while the specifics are being worked out in each committee, the overall budget framework agreed to by House leadership reduces spending by $3.9 billion when compared to the 2024-25 budget and is $1.159 billion below the 2026-27 budget base. For the 2028-2029 projected budget, more than $2.6 billion in spending would be eliminated. All of this is necessary because Minnesota faces a $6 billion budget deficit in the next budget cycle.
“We are plowing new ground, and the first step was to negotiate budget targets on time,” Torkelson said. “With that accomplished, the House has a strong bipartisan position, which I believe will be very beneficial when we begin budget negotiations with the Senate.”
Torkelson said a new state budget agreement must be in place before session adjourns in mid-May.