Hello from the State Capitol,
The 2021 legislative session ended in very abnormal fashion. Typically the last few days of a session are filled with floor sessions that extend well past the midnight hour and are ongoing until the final minute until lawmakers are constitutionally obligated to adjourn.
This year, the final weekend of session was extremely quiet and low key, and after passing a handful of bipartisan policy provisions, we adjourned by mid-afternoon on Monday.
That’s not to suggest our legislative work is over. Far from it.
I am extremely disappointed we have not come close to approving a new state budget. Even in previous years where special sessions were held, lawmakers had found consensus and passed a number of government funding bills, whether it was agriculture finance or higher education finance. This year, we didn’t approve any. In fact, the governor, House speaker, and Senate majority leader announced they had finally agreed to a budget spending target Monday morning. That’s just unacceptable.
The good news is, with a budget target in place we can actually begin moving forward. Working groups of representatives and senators will begin work on specific areas within a budget in hopes of crafting plans that can be approved by both legislative bodies. In reality, that may be more for show, as while it may seem like work is getting done, all of the final decisions will be made and agreed to by three people – the same three who agreed to the budget spending target.
Special session is expected to be called on June 14, and we must have a new budget in place before July 1 to avoid a government shutdown. I am looking forward to actually getting our work done long before that deadline.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact me. I can be reached by email at rep.nolan.west@house.mn or by phone at 651-296-4226.
Talk to you soon,
Nolan