Minnesota Legislature Erupts in Chaos at Deadline

(KNSI) — The 2024 session of the Minnesota Legislature ended in chaos at the midnight deadline as the clock ran out for lawmakers to pass bills.

Shouting echoed through both chambers as the deadline approached.

House Democrats wrapped several massive omnibus bills into one and passed it over objections from Republicans who were ignored. The bill was not made available beforehand, and House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring) urged members not to vote because they did not know what they were passing.

Rep. Demuth issued a statement before the deadline, slamming Democrats for loading up an unrelated bill with unrelated policy and ramming it through by shutting down debate. “There was zero debate on a bill that was more than 1,400 pages. There was not even an opportunity to review the bill. This was a shameful process and represents a total failure of leadership by Speaker [Melissa] Hortman, Majority Leader [Erin] Murphy, and Governor [Tim] Walz.”

A cash only capital improvement plan better known as the bonding bill did pass the House, but did not make it through the Senate on time.

A bonding bill is typically passed during the even years of a biennium and requires a three-fifths majority, which means Democrats and Republicans need to work together to decide what goes in and what gets left out. Republicans have said they have been left out of negotiations all session long. There will be no bonding bill this year unless a special session is called.

What did pass were gun control measures banning binary triggers, increasing penalties for straw buyers, and changes to the paid leave law, resulting in a higher payroll tax. The Department of Employment and Economic Development told lawmakers last week the program will cost more than initially projected and said the payroll tax would need to increase by 25%, to be split between employers and employees. The Health and Human Services policy package addressing funding surrounding ambulance service personnel, emergency medical responders, health insurance, medical assistance, mental health, and pharmacies was also included.

Statewide pay and job protections for rideshare drivers and a plan to speed up the issuing of licenses for retail cannabis cultivation passed both chambers and are headed to the governor’s desk.

What did not pass was the Equal Rights Amendment, which would enshrine unfettered access to an abortion for any reason and at any time during pregnancy into the state Constitution and also protect the LGBTQ+ community from discrimination. Despite proponents saying they were closer than ever to an agreement, the sports betting bill also didn’t make it through.

The Legislature will meet Monday for ceremonial reasons but can’t pass any bills.

___