Dear Neighbors,
Part of my job as your elected representative includes pulling back the curtain on what’s happening in St. Paul and letting you know how things work here at the legislature.
I often hear from folks back home who contact me about a vote I have taken either for or against a bill. In many cases, it is easy to explain my position on a specific issue. However, that is not always the case when it comes to omnibus bills.
For those who may not know, omnibus bills are large bills that are made up of numerous smaller bills generally on a similar but often very broad topic. For example, an omnibus tax bill may cover various changes in several areas of tax law including income, corporate, and sales taxes. Often the smaller bills are heard in committee and then laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill rather than passing each bill separately.
Article 4, section 17 of the Minnesota Constitution states that “No law shall embrace more than one subject, which shall be expressed in its title.”
This clause of the state constitution is important because it makes sure that you, the people of Minnesota, can more easily follow along with what’s happening here in St. Paul. So often, we will see individual bills receive hearings in committee only for them to be laid over for inclusion in an omnibus bill.
When this happens, it becomes almost impossible for folks to track the status of the bill unless you are well-versed in the intricate machinations of parliamentary procedure.
Omnibus bills also make it much easier for what I consider to be “lazy lawmaking.” If legislators are presented with a 500+ page bill that contains dozens, if not hundreds, of smaller bills inside, then human nature would tell us that most legislators have probably not taken the time to read each bill.
I believe that this practice has led to the explosion of government growth and spending that we have seen in the past few years.
This is no way to govern and should be rejected by legislators.
It is incumbent on each of us to take the time to learn about the bills that we are voting on. Omnibus bills discourage that practice.
Finally, I believe that omnibus bills foster more, not less, partisanship. Every week, bills come before the committees I sit on that are largely non-controversial and have the support of members from both political parties. If more bills were allowed to travel to the House Floor for individual votes, I think it would demonstrate to the public, and ourselves, that we can work together to solve the big problems impacting Minnesota.
I am hopeful that I can begin to truly change the culture of the legislature during my time serving. No more autopilot and no more “lazy lawmaking”. Let’s roll up our sleeves and dig into the issues that you, the people of Minnesota, sent us here to tackle.
Staying in Touch
As always, please communicate to me any thoughts, questions, or concerns you may have. Please never hesitate to reach out to me whether it’s via phone or email. I can be reached at 651-296-4293 or via email at rep.mike.wiener@house.mn.gov. It would be an honor to speak with you.
Until next time, have a great weekend,
Mike