The Governor vetoed two tax bills this year. As a result, Minnesota is significantly out of conformity with new federal tax laws. Governor Dayton released a plan that responded to federal changes in early March, but Republican lawmakers waited until May – less than three weeks before the Legislature’s constitutional deadline. Republican lawmakers left little […] Read more
PASSED AND SIGNED INTO LAW Legislative budget – HF 399 After he line-item vetoed the Legislature’s operating budget at the end of the 2017 session, Governor Dayton approved $129.1 million in funding for the current biennium. The Minnesota Supreme Court upheld the veto last fall and determined that the Legislature had sufficient revenue to operate until […] Read more
PASSED AND SIGNED INTO LAW Pensions bill – SF 2620 The Legislature used a shared-sacrifice approach to ensure the long-term stability of public pensions. Active employees, employers, retirees, and the state are all part of the solution. The compromise bill reduces annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for retirees to below 2% but allows flexibility for increases to […] Read more
PASSED AND SIGNED INTO LAW DWIs and controlled substances – SF 2578 The Legislature added several new drugs to the state schedule of controlled substances and made it a crime for minors to possess or sell kratom, a controversial opioid-like substance that’s sold in health food and herbal medicine stores. In response to an impaired driver […] Read more
PASSED AND SIGNED INTO LAW MNLARS funding and policy – SF 3133 The Legislature appropriated $10 million to improve the Minnesota License and Registration System (MNLARS), which became plagued with technical problems after its rollout in July 2017. Lawmakers appropriated the money from an existing account in Driver and Vehicle Services. It includes $350,000 over the […] Read more
PASSED AND SIGNED INTO LAW PTSD workers’ compensation condition for first responders – HF 3873 The Legislature added Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a qualifying condition for first responder workers’ compensation claims. As a result, firefighters, police officers, and EMTS impacted by traumatic experiences can receive benefits when a claim related to PTSD is approved. […] Read more
