Latest news with #DFL-backed
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers release bipartisan human services budget bill
May 15, 2025 at the Minnesota State Capitol. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer) A bipartisan group of lawmakers released on Thursday the final draft of their plan to cut $270 million over the next two years from programs that serve the elderly and disabled. The two-year, approximately $17 billion compromise human services budget will cut future spending on nursing homes and home care programs, though it will raise pay for nursing home and home care workers. The bill largely avoids pushing costs on to county governments, which was a core piece of the House plan. The Department of Human Services currently accounts for around one-third of the state budget, and spending is expected to rapidly grow in the coming years as the population ages and the cost of providing care increases. The majority of the agency's budget goes toward Medical Assistance, Minnesota's Medicaid program. Agreeing on a DHS budget was one of the biggest hurdles lawmakers needed to clear before they reconvene for a special session to pass the remaining budget bills. Legislative leaders and Gov. Tim Walz are aiming to hold a special session on Saturday, but there's been no official announcement, and they've missed self-imposed deadlines before. If they don't finish the budget by the end of June, large parts of state government will shut down. Some state workers have already received furlough notices. Throughout the legislative process, leaders agreed to target DHS for cuts, though both chambers passed very different plans. The DFL-backed Senate budget focused on reducing payments to nursing homes; the House version pushed costs onto counties while cutting spending on programs that provide care to people with disabilities. The compromise budget bill makes the following cuts over the next two years: $186 million by capping inflation adjustments for long-term care waivers, which pay for in-home care for people with disabilities, at the federal urban inflation rate (CPI-U) or 4%. $51 million from changes to 'rate exceptions,' higher-than-usual payments for the care of people with extraordinary needs. The bill would create new limits on what is covered by the rate exception, and introduce new paperwork requirements. Around $46 million by putting tighter limits on what Medical Assistance covers for day and unit based services, which help people with disabilities maintain life skills and participate in a community and activities. It also would cut pay for caretakers when they are sleeping on an overnight supervision shift. $41 million from nursing homes by making a series of changes to how patients are classified, removing an incentive to create more single-bed rooms and capping some inflation adjustments. It also generates more than $56 million in savings by increasing yearly fees paid to the state by nursing homes, and also increasing a reimbursement rate that corresponds to the fees, which pushes some costs onto the federal government. The budget spends money on raises for nursing home and other care workers ($88 million) and on setting up a new licensing and oversight system for autism service providers ($11 million), some of which are under investigation by the FBI on suspicion of fraud. The bill does not include a House proposal that would have shifted more than $150 million in costs to counties to pay for rate exceptions.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ethics panel deadlocks on complaint against Minnesota Senate President
An ethics complaint Republicans filed against Minnesota Senate President Bobby Joe Champion, DFL-Minneapolis, stalled Monday after a legislative ethics panel failed to reach consensus on how to proceed. The two Democratic-Farmer-Labor and two Republican members of the Senate Subcommittee on Ethics deadlocked on whether there was probable cause that Champion broke ethics rules when he helped obtain millions in state funding for a nonprofit whose founder he had done free legal work for. They also tied in a 2-2 vote on a DFL-backed motion to dismiss the complaint. The lack of action comes after the subcommittee asked Champion to disclose any potential conflicts of interest at an April 24 meeting but made no other rulings. Champion initially asked for an advisory opinion from the Senate Subcommittee on Ethics after his pro bono work for a Minneapolis violence prevention organization had come to light earlier in April. He temporarily stepped down as chair of the Ethics Subcommittee and Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul, took over the position as the panel handled the matter. Champion faced allegations about potential conflicts because he carried a 2023 bill that helped the Minneapolis violence prevention nonprofit 21 Days of Peace obtain $3 million in funding. In 2025, he sponsored another bill to help provide another $1 million. Republicans in their complaint argued Champion's pro bono work for the nonprofit's founder, Rev. Jerry McAfee and his parent group, Salem, Inc., harmed public perception of the Senate by giving the impression of a conflict of interest. 'Due to the relationship Salem Inc. had with Sen. Champion, it is difficult for the public to have faith that the projects selected by the Legislature for public funds are being chosen based on merit,' said Sen. Michael Kreun, R-Blaine, who brought the complaint against Champion. Champion has maintained that his pro bono work for McAfee ended in 2022 and did not coincide with his sponsorship of the bills. He and his lawyer also argued that his ties to the nonprofit do not violate Minnesota Senate ethics rules because there was no financial interest. 'I thank the members of the ethics subcommittee for their work. As I have maintained since the beginning of this discussion, I have followed the rules of the Senate,' Champion said in a statement. 'I did not introduce or advocate for legislation on which I had a conflict of interest and I'm grateful that the subcommittee did not find probable cause.' Minnesota's ethics rules for legislators are not particularly expansive. Current law bans members from voting on matters that result in a direct financial gain for themselves or their business disproportionate to others in the same field. Political observers and lawmakers of both parties have noted that Minnesota's part-time 'citizen legislature' naturally lends itself to members voting on issues directly related to their work and communities. Teachers, nurses and business owners often back or carry bills directly related to their lines of work. Champion's backers have argued that his work with nonprofits and religious leaders in his district is the mark of an effective state representative. In response to DFLers' unwillingness to join GOP members in backing the ethics complaint Monday, Kreun said it was 'disappointing that partisanship won out.' Letters: 'Let's not make it harder to learn,' Walz wrote. A private school principal responds. Debate on unemployment benefits for school workers derails key MN budget piece St. Paul, MN Wild trim Xcel Center's state request from $400M to $50M Minnesota loosens distance exemption on state employee return to office order Minnesota Senate OKs liquor bill with 'social districts' provision
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ethics panel deadlocks on complaint against Minnesota Senate President
An ethics complaint Republicans filed against Minnesota Senate President Bobby Joe Champion, DFL-Minneapolis, stalled Monday after a legislative ethics panel failed to reach consensus on how to proceed. The two Democratic-Farmer-Labor and two Republican members of the Senate Subcommittee on Ethics deadlocked on whether there was probable cause that Champion broke ethics rules when he helped obtain millions in state funding for a nonprofit whose founder he had done free legal work for. They also tied in a 2-2 vote on a DFL-backed motion to dismiss the complaint. The lack of action comes after the subcommittee asked Champion to disclose any potential conflicts of interest at an April 24 meeting but made no other rulings. Champion initially asked for an advisory opinion from the Senate Subcommittee on Ethics after his pro bono work for a Minneapolis violence prevention organization had come to light earlier in April. He temporarily stepped down as chair of the Ethics Subcommittee and Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul, took over the position as the panel handled the matter. Champion faced allegations about potential conflicts because he carried a 2023 bill that helped the Minneapolis violence prevention nonprofit 21 Days of Peace obtain $3 million in funding. In 2025, he sponsored another bill to help provide another $1 million. Republicans in their complaint argued Champion's pro bono work for the nonprofit's founder, Rev. Jerry McAfee and his parent group, Salem, Inc., harmed public perception of the Senate by giving the impression of a conflict of interest. 'Due to the relationship Salem Inc. had with Sen. Champion, it is difficult for the public to have faith that the projects selected by the Legislature for public funds are being chosen based on merit,' said Sen. Michael Kreun, R-Blaine, who brought the complaint against Champion. Champion has maintained that his pro bono work for McAfee ended in 2022 and did not coincide with his sponsorship of the bills. He and his lawyer also argued that his ties to the nonprofit do not violate Minnesota Senate ethics rules because there was no financial interest. 'I thank the members of the ethics subcommittee for their work. As I have maintained since the beginning of this discussion, I have followed the rules of the Senate,' Champion said in a statement. 'I did not introduce or advocate for legislation on which I had a conflict of interest and I'm grateful that the subcommittee did not find probable cause.' Minnesota's ethics rules for legislators are not particularly expansive. Current law bans members from voting on matters that result in a direct financial gain for themselves or their business disproportionate to others in the same field. Political observers and lawmakers of both parties have noted that Minnesota's part-time 'citizen legislature' naturally lends itself to members voting on issues directly related to their work and communities. Teachers, nurses and business owners often back or carry bills directly related to their lines of work. Champion's backers have argued that his work with nonprofits and religious leaders in his district is the mark of an effective state representative. In response to DFLers' unwillingness to join GOP members in backing the ethics complaint Monday, Kreun said it was 'disappointing that partisanship won out.' Letters: 'Let's not make it harder to learn,' Walz wrote. A private school principal responds. Debate on unemployment benefits for school workers derails key MN budget piece St. Paul, MN Wild trim Xcel Center's state request from $400M to $50M Minnesota loosens distance exemption on state employee return to office order Minnesota Senate OKs liquor bill with 'social districts' provision
