ST. PAUL 鈥� Lawmakers officially moved into their last month of session this week. Budget bills are being voted off the Senate and House floors, where leaders will soon take their budget proposals to conference committees to hash out differences Gov. Tim Walz.
House passes transportation budget
The Minnesota House passed its Transportation budget on Monday, April 28 in an 85-49 vote following two hours of debate.
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The bill, , allocates $476 million in spending for the 2026-27 budget 鈥� meeting its budget target of zero net increases. The transportation bill was negotiated by co-chairs Rep. Jon Koznick, R-Lakeville, and Rep. Erin Koegel, DFL-Spring Lake Park.
鈥淥bviously, we have a divided-balance Legislature and this bill reflects that,鈥� Koznick said on the floor Monday. 鈥淲e are also 鈥� facing a $6 billion deficit. And so we had to dig a little bit deeper into the numbers to do some great work with a zero target. We鈥檙e pulling the plug on some failed projects to save taxpayers millions of dollars and then reinvesting those dollars.鈥�
The bill for the Blatnik Bridge in Duluth, $650 million, $454 million in state road construction and $50 million to the resilient pavement program. The bill to the Metropolitan Council transit system operations at $40 million Greater Minnesota transit at $12 million and the Office of Traffic Safety Drug Program at $6 million.
Democrats on the floor attempted to introduce a few amendments, including the bill鈥檚 delay for meeting greenhouse gas emissions goals from 2027 to 2028.
鈥淚 think that this bill is not quite as balanced as we'd like to think, because I think a lot of it is in the past and not looking towards the future,鈥� Koegel said on the floor Monday.
Laid-off steelworkers win unemployment insurance
A bipartisan amendment to give unemployment insurance to recently laid-off steelworkers was successfully added to the Senate Jobs and Labor budget bill on Tuesday.
The amendment, co-authored by Sen. Grant Hauschild, DFL-Hermantown, and Sen. Rob Farnsworth, R-Hibbing, extends unemployment protections for steelworkers recently laid off.
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Over will be laid off as Cleveland-Cliffs announced in late March plans to temporarily close its Minorca Mine in Virginia and partially idle Hibbing Taconite, citing a surplus of taconite pellets caused by decreased steel demand in 2024.
鈥淭here鈥檚 an old saying on the Range that when the U.S. economy sneezes, the Iron Range catches a cold, and right now, we鈥檝e caught a bad cold,鈥� Farnsworth said on the floor Tuesday. 鈥淟ayoffs like these hit the Range hard; many of these workers don鈥檛 know when or if they鈥檒l be called back. In the tradition of what we鈥檝e done for decades, we鈥檙e making sure these workers have the support they need to stay here and be ready when the mines restart.鈥�
The unemployment protections were originally introduced in a standalone bill earlier this year 鈥� the The amendment allows steelworkers laid off between March 15 and June 15 to be eligible for up to 26 additional weeks of support through the state鈥檚 unemployment insurance trust fund.
鈥淲hen our miners are laid off, it doesn鈥檛 just impact their families 鈥� it threatens the economic fabric of the entire Iron Range,鈥� Hauschild said in a statement after passage. 鈥淭his amendment gives laid-off workers at Minorca and HibTac a critical lifeline while we fight to restart production and secure the future of mining in our region.鈥�
Senate passes Judiciary and Public Safety budget
The Minnesota Senate passed a $3.84 billion Judiciary and Public Safety budget Wednesday in a 34-32 vote. The bill, , authored by Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park, includes funding boosts for victim services, law enforcement training and judicial staffing.
鈥淭his budget reflects our commitment to a criminal justice system that protects Minnesotans, addresses serious crimes, and supports our partners in public safety,鈥� Latz said in a statement following passage. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a responsible approach with smart, targeted investments.鈥�
The budget includes over $106 million in new spending for fiscal years 2026-27, and funds initiatives such as the Philando Castile Memorial Training Fund and expanded benefits for families of fallen officers.
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Eleven amendments were adopted during Wednesday鈥檚 seven-hour floor debate, including restoring expiring police training funds and increasing oversight of violence prevention grants. Republicans unsuccessfully pushed an amendment that would target provisions surrounding sentencing guidelines and early release.
Sen. Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove, lead Republican on the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, said in a statement after passage that he is glad his caucus added funding for law enforcement officers and 鈥渉eld nonprofit organizations accountable.鈥�
鈥淯nfortunately, this bill continues a troubling pattern from Democrats of letting more violent criminals out of prison early,鈥� Limmer said. 鈥淭hat policy is going to make our communities much less safe and put innocent families at risk.鈥�
Bills in motion
: The Senate Labor Committee heard a bill that would create bargaining rights for Uber and Lyft drivers on Thursday. The bill was laid over for later consideration.
: The House Capital Investment Committee heard a bill Tuesday that would fund secure lock boxes at schools to allow law enforcement access to schools in an emergency. The committee heard the bill on an informational basis and took no action.
: The Senate Finance Committee heard a bill to establish the Office of the Inspector General on Thursday. The bill was laid on the table and will be heard again on Tuesday.
Gov. Tim Walz signs seven bills into law
: Permits certain public safety officers and state agencies to receive gifts that honor or commemorate a public safety officer related to a line-of-duty death.
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: Modifies contracts for deed, with a focus on those involving "investor sellers" to prevent predatory practices such as churning.
: Exempts the Office of Ombudsperson for American Indian Families from paying court fee requirements in certain cases, such as child custody matters, marriage dissolution and guardianship of a minor.
: Modifies the Minnesota Business Corporation Act, such as procedures in the event of an emergency and limitations on a board鈥檚 authority to manage a corporation.
: Amends the jurisdiction of the North Koochiching sanitary sewer board.
: Requires the state鈥檚 director of Child Sex Trafficking Prevention to submit a report every other year to the Legislature and the Minnesota Department of Health evaluating the Safe Harbor program.
: Enforces training requirements for mandated reporters, such as medical professionals, attorneys, mental health professionals and social workers to better identify signs of child abuse.
The Trust Project
