Minnesota Legislature Racing Against Time to Wrap Up 2024 Session

(KNSI) — The clock is ticking for the Minnesota State Legislature to finish its business for the 2024 session.

Yet to be nailed down is the Capital Improvement Plan, also known as the Bonding Bill. It is a package of funding bills for local infrastructure projects that will be partially paid for with state money. That money can come from cash the state already has in the coffers, or it can be borrowed by issuing bonds, which are repaid with interest at a later date. Passage requires a three-fifths vote, and with a Democratic Trifecta in the House, Senate and Governor’s office, it will require cooperation from everyone on all sides to get it passed.

Legalized sports betting is still a touchy subject and may be doomed this session. There is support for it in both parties, but the opposition still exists. Proponents say the state is missing out on a $100 billion industry. There is still wrangling over who can participate and who gets the profits. Horse tracks and Tribal nations have been at odds over the issue.

Lawmakers also need to agree on getting an amendment to the state Constitution. The Equal Rights Amendment calls for protections for transgender people, people of color and gender. It also would enshrine abortion rights, but language surrounding the amendment is still an issue. It is deceiving in that it doesn’t specifically use the word abortion and only mentions the phrase of whether a woman can decide whether to become or remain pregnant. It wouldn’t go to voters until 2026.

Certain measures surrounding gun control may be DOA. A measure in the bill would stiffen penalties for straw buyers, individuals who buy a gun for someone who can’t and transfer ownership to that person. The safe storage of firearms requirement says guns must be stored either unloaded and equipped with a locking device or placed in a locked firearm storage unit, such as a gun safe or a locked gun room, where they may be either loaded or unloaded. Certain binary trigger devices would also be banned.

Time runs out for lawmakers on May 20th.

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