Minnesota Legislature
Energy, agriculture conferees find green agreement
By Rob Hubbard
Commerce went to cannabis, but energy and agriculture remained united.
Such was the result of a midweek re-ordering of conference committees that took place after a conference committee had already met for the first time to hash out differences in House and Senate energy, commerce and agriculture proposals.
On Friday afternoon, the final take on the energy and agriculture policy and supplemental budget conference committee report was unveiled, with $17 million in fiscal year 2025 energy appropriations designed to get the state closer to its goal of 100% clean energy by 2040, and $4.5 million for such agriculture-related programs as assisting communities in southeastern Minnesota affected by nitrate contamination in their drinking water.
They’re part of HF4975/SF4942*, a bill sponsored by Rep. Patty Acomb (DFL-Minnetonka) and Sen. Nick Frentz (DFL-North Mankato) that features both budget and policy provisions for energy and agriculture. The bill contains sections on appropriations from the General Fund and the Renewable Development Account, and was amended with policy provisions regarding permitting reform and a 10-year extension of the Solar Rewards program that Frentz identified as being a House priority in negotiations.
Recent Dailies
Energy, agriculture conferees find green agreement
By Rob Hubbard
Commerce went to cannabis, but energy and agriculture remained united.
Such was the result of a midweek re-ordering of conference committees that took place after a conferen...
Family preservation conference committee finds quick agreement
By Jonathan Mohr Protections intended to keep more Minnesota families together took another step toward becoming law Friday evening when a conference committee on the proposed “Minnesota African...Conference committee reaches agreement on funding jobs, economic development programs
By Tim Walker
Several of the main players at Friday’s jobs, workforce, and economic development finance and policy conference committee made opening remarks praising the agreement reached.
...
Higher ed conferees ace final, make quick work of blending bills
By Rob Hubbard
If you were paying attention when the House passed its higher education policy and supplemental budget bills, the higher education conference committee report may produce some d...
House, Senate strike bargain on environment, natural resources supplemental spending bill
By Margaret Stevens New ways for dealing with waste — packaging, boat wrap, outdated electronics, sewer sludge and heat — are included in a conference committee agreement on the environment and na...Gun bill conference committee agrees to tougher penalties for straw purchases, ban on binary triggers
By Tim Walker
A straw purchase occurs when an individual buys a firearm for someone ineligible to purchase or possess them.
Bills that would raise the penalty for a straw purchase from a ...
Conferees close deal on broad transportation, labor and housing package
By Margaret Stevens
What do Bruce Springsteen and Rotary International have in common?
Both played a starring role in the final moments of the transportation/labor/housing supplemental budget b...
House passes changes to paid leave law amid chaos at close of vote
By Tim Walker
On the first day of 2026, a state-run insurance program is scheduled to begin providing Minnesota workers with up to 20 weeks per year of paid time off to deal with family ...
Conferees adopt report to spend $43 million more on education in fiscal year 2025
By Brian Basham
Continuing what began last year is the theme of an agreement that’d put more money toward education.
Conferees to the education supplemental budget bill adopted the conferen...
Cannabis conferees successfully hash out differences, expand bill’s scope
By Tim Walker
(CORRECTION: Concerns raised by Rep. Nolan West were inaccurate in original story)
The cannabis regulation bill grew Wednesday. And conferees found it to be, as the kids sa...
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Ways and Means Committee OKs proposed $512 million supplemental budget on party-line vote
By Mike Cook
Meeting more needs or fiscal irresponsibility is one way to sum up the differences among the two parties on a supplemental spending package a year after a $72 billion state budg...
Minnesota’s projected budget surplus balloons to $3.7 billion, but fiscal pressure still looms
By Rob Hubbard
Just as Minnesota has experienced a warmer winter than usual, so has the state’s budget outlook warmed over the past few months.
On Thursday, Minnesota Management and Budget...
