Minnesota Report
By all accounts, the amount of early action by the two legislative bodies is setting an aggressive pace and the items being considered are quite substantial. The total number of bills introductions posted on the respective websites this morning, show there have been 971 in the House and 993 in the Senate. To highlight the current rate of progress House Speaker Melissa Hortman (DFL-37B, Brooklyn Park) put out the following tweet on Friday.
We have heard that the number of bills backlogged at the Revisor’s Office exceed these numbers by as much as 2/3rds and means this will also be a quite prolific session.
With an analysis of the numbers on just their face, we are able to glean some interesting facets. To date, the top three bill authors in the House are Reps Duane Quam (R-24A, Bryon) with 52, Rick Hansen (DFL-53B, South St Paul) with 26, and Kristin Robbins (R-37A, Maple Grove with 55. In the Senate, it is slightly more interesting. The most active members are Sens Rich Draheim (R-22, Madison Lake) with 57, Eric Lucero (R-30, St Michael) with 49 and Mary Kunesh (DFL-39, New Brighton) with 38. Now we will note, these numbers are only valid up until the legislature returns to session and a slew on more bills will be introduced.
In the House, the numbers of bills related to Bonds are 182, and in the Senate, the number of bills related to Bonds are 176.
Now, one reason we said the Senate numbers are slightly more interesting is because of the quiet conversation occurring in the halls, in which we are hearing the Republican Senators are putting up single subject bills for Capital Investment projects in their districts. This is not to say the same approach is not occurring in the House and if there is to be any form of compromise in either body to achieve the 60% majority, being able to pick-up a vote/project seems like a well-horned strategy. This is the way a Bonding Bill has traditionally been assembled, and it is why Capital Investment Chairs Rep Fue Lee (DFL-59A, Minneapolis) and Sen Sandy Pappas (DFL-65, St Paul) will become quite popular as the process moves forward.