2021 Budget Bills on the Floor
and everything happening in the Legislature this week.
Judiciary Budget fails to meet community demands
The Senate this week passed its judiciary budget bill. The committee was given a $90 million target, which allows for some investments in the state’s court and corrections system, and in some public safety requests. Of the target, $20 million of that target was reserved for disaster assistance for our local communities.
The bill, however, is a stark portrait of what the Senate Republican priorities aren’t; the bill contains no policing and criminal justice reform, no justice programs, and little in the way of reducing the intersectional causes behind crime and recidivism. Read more >>
Consumer protection, clean energy absent from Republican budget bill
Senate Republicans passed a budget bill this week intended to address consumer protection and energy issues. Although the name of one of the committees that generated the bill is Commerce and Consumer Protection, the legislation contained little for actual Minnesota consumers. And in sharp contrast to the clean energy priorities of the DFL House and Governor Walz, the bill falls woefully short of funding energy project that will bring the state closer to a carbon-free future. Read more >>
Higher Ed bill passes floor; heads to conference committee
The Senate’s higher education omnibus budget bill passed with a floor vote of 38-29, with most DFLers voting no due to the bill’s low budget target and lack of funding for the coming two years. Read more >>