8.1. SR 04-21-2003 - Laserfiche WebLink

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17 280~ 1~:4~:54 ~a Fax -> ?G~4417425 881 0£ 08Z Legislature continues work on budget and tax bills Legislators left St. Paul for their districts earlier than normal this week with a long weekend for Easter and Passover. There were no hearings scheduled for Thursday, Friday or Monday. Both bodies will kick it back into gear on Tuesday with floor sessions and more hearings. For many legislators it will be one of the last chances to be home among constituents and test the political winds. The scheduled adjournment date is May 19'h. - Frid ay Fax - A weekly legislative update from the League of Minnesota Cities April 17, 2003 Page 1 $30 million for the wastewater infrastructure program, $12 million for greater Minnesota business development infrastructure grants, and $24.5 million for flood recovery in Roseau. With less than a month to go in the regular session, the Senate begins crafting together their omnibus bills next week with the Finance committee deadline of April 29'h. This is the date by which a committee's omnibus bill needs to receive a favorable hearing in Senate Finance. The Senate Finance committee is the equivalent of the House Ways & Means committee. House budget committees spent the week putting together their various omnibus bills, taking public testimony and marking up the bills late each night with amendments. Those bills will go onto Ways & Means next week. As usual, a number of these bills have had major policy provisions go into them as amendments. This is often done to resurrect bills that are technically dead because they did not receive a hearing in the other body. Off the Senate side, the Senate Finance Committee passed a $418 million bonding bill to the floor. Much of the spending in this year's proposal was part of the capital-bonding bill that passed last year, but that $357 million in projects was vetoed by Governor Ventura. The bill contains many projects that benefit local communities, including nearly $7 million for regional parks, $3.6 million for solid waste capital assistance grants, $20 million for the local road improvement program, $2 million for greater Minnesota transit facilities, $10 million for North Star commuter rail, $13 million for the public safety radio communication system build-out, over The Governor's LGA reform proposal is supposed to be out on Wednesday. The Senate plans to have a tax bill out off Tuesday that will only be made up of the non-controversial tax pieces. Those other pieces will likely come together as the bill is marked up and amended later in the week. The House Tax committee will have their TIF hearing towards the end of the week. Pieces of the House omnibus tax bill should be out for public reaction by the end of next week as well. Governor's Appointments Today Gov. Pawlenty made official his appointments to head three important state agencies. Tim Mark is the new commissioner for the MN Housing Finance Agency. Department of Labor & Industry will be headed up by new commissioner Scott Bremer. The new commissioner for the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board/Agency will be Sandy Layman. Hearings of interest (Lynn put this blurb about the fluctuating schedules ahead of AF's scheduled items) Check the legislative website for the most up-to- date information. Most of these are loosely scheduled post-floor sessions and will go later into the evening. Senate Tax Committee (Tuesday 4/22 - Friday 4/25 Chair: Sen. Lawrence Pogemiller 9 a.m. Room 15 Capitol Agenda: To be announced. For more informal/on on ¢[ly legislalive issues, conlat'l any member of Ihe League of Minnesota Cities Inlergovernmental Relations learn. 651.281,1200 or 800.925.1122