Latest news with #HarryNiska
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Budget blowup? Two reasons legislature may not finish timely budget
The Brief Disputes over education and healthcare funding in the tied House are threads threatening to unravel the Minnesota budget sweater. In the education bill, the GOP insists on ending unemployment benefits for seasonal school workers in 2028. Democrats reluctantly accepted the provision in committee, but backed out before the bill got to the floor for a vote of the full House. In the healthcare bill, the fight is over whether to continue allowing undocumented migrants to get coverage through MN Care. A lot more of them have signed up than expected, and the costs are about 32% more than expected to date. Republicans want to remove all of them from MN Care. ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A couple major disputes could derail the state legislature before the budget deadline two weeks from Monday. "This is the time when deals come together and where people are working hard to make that happen," said Floor Leader Jamie Long, (DFL-Minneapolis). Destroying the sweater? Leaders from both parties agree the education and healthcare budgets are the threads that could unravel the entire budget sweater. Democrats blew up an education agreement negotiated in committee last week because it included a provision ending unemployment benefits in 2028 for seasonal school workers. "This was the negotiated way to get out of that box," said Floor Leader Harry Niska, (R-Ramsey). "We need to move forward on funding education. We need to move forward getting a budget." Republicans argued the bus drivers, teacher's aides and others signed up for jobs that last nine months. And even though it doesn't save taxpayers a penny in the current budget, it was a GOP priority to end the benefits created during the DFL trifecta. "The three parameters that we had for this was the repeal of 2028 for the UI (unemployment insurance)," said Rep. Ron Kresha, (R-Little Falls), the House GOP education finance chair. "We had the $40 million target for READ Act and then a zero base budget." 'Protect the trifecta' Democrats say they're standing up for workers in education and in the healthcare battle, they're standing up for undocumented immigrants and the hospital system. Republicans want to exclude noncitizens from MN Care after 20,197 people enrolled by April 24, nearly three times the expected final number. So the costs could triple, but doctors, insurers, and hospital leaders all say the coverage can save taxpayers money by keeping people in preventive care instead of emergency rooms. And DFL leaders say it has no immediate effect on the bottom line to wrap up their work. "All we need to do right now is get a budget," said Rep. Long. "A lot of these provisions are extraneous - they're policy provisions, the GOP trying to leverage funding our government to get additional concessions - and so that I think is the real threat for us being able to end session on time." Timeline May 19 is the end of the session, but June 30 is the deadline to avoid a government shutdown, so if they need a special session, there's a little wiggle room.
CBS News
01-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Divided Minnesota House spars over jobless benefits for hourly school workers as end of session looms
Budget negotiations in the divided Minnesota Legislature are already growing more tense and face roadblocks during the crucial final few weeks of session, as Republicans and Democrats sparred Wednesday over jobless benefits DFL lawmakers recently approved for school workers. Employees like bus drivers and teacher aides weren't eligible for unemployment insurance during summer break until a 2023 law expanded eligibility. The newly empowered GOP in a tied House, which could do little in the last two years when Democrats called the shots, wants to repeal that law. Workers say the change has provided a lifeline. The education spending proposal — agreed to by the GOP and DFL co-chairs of that committee — would undo it after the summer of 2028 and provide some additional state funding to cover those benefits in the meantime. But in a heated rules committee meeting Wednesday, Democrats voted against bringing that bill to the floor this week to instead renegotiate its terms before it goes to the House floor, drawing a sharp rebuke from Republicans. "You don't like that this caucus stood up for working families last session," said Rep. Michael Howard, DFL-Richfield, during the discussion. "You want to go back and relitigate what happened in 2023, but our job is to balance this budget, and it's a matter of fact that the provision that you all don't like is not a line item to balance our state education budget." Republicans criticized Democrats for backing out of that agreement and accused them of "obstructing" the end of session, which must conclude May 19. If they don't complete the work of passing a budget, they'll have to go into a special session to approve one by June 30 or the government will shut down. "That was a signed agreement between the co-chairs. It was part of a bill that passed out of the Ways and Means Committee yesterday, and then Democrats have apparently reneged on that agreement," said Rep. Harry Niska, the GOP leader from Ramsey, told reporters. "And so that's a big setback in terms of being able to get our work done by May 19." Both the House and Senate have begun passing budget bills focused on particular spending areas — like transportation, commerce, and housing — which will send the proposals to conference committees for the chambers to hammer out the details to find an agreement, so negotiations are far from over as lawmakers sprint towards adjournment. Separately, House Republicans are also pushing for changes to the state's paid family and medical leave program that's not even off the ground yet — either by delaying implementation or changing the scope of the law. Minnesotans will start to get benefits on Jan. 1 and that's when the payroll tax kicks in to fund it, which can be split evenly between employers and employees. "What was passed is not affordable. The cost has already been raised on businesses, the taxes already increased, and we know that taking 20 weeks off is not going to be sustainable," said House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring. DFL Gov. Tim Walz said his administration is focused on getting the program up and running but is open to discussion about tweaks to paid family and medical leave so long as it improves the law. "I'm not interested in weakening it. I'm not interested in giving less benefits to the Minnesotans who wanted this. Overwhelmingly, this is one of the most popular proposals we put forward. But if it makes it better, certainly," Walz told reporters. Republicans so far this session have unsuccessfully tried to delay the program by one year. Bills need bipartisan support in order to advance off the floor and Democrats are staunchly opposed to changes to the law, which was a top priority item for them two years ago and supported by a majority of Minnesotans in public opinion polls.
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill banning trans athletes in girls sports fails in Minnesota House
In a party-line vote Monday, the Minnesota House of Representatives narrowly rejected a proposed bill that would have banned transgender athletes from participating in girls and women's sports. All 67 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, which was authored by Rep. Peggy Scott (R-Andover), and all 66 Democratic lawmakers voted against. The Preserving Girls' Sports Act reached the House floor Monday afternoon after passing the GOP-controlled House Education Policy Committee last week. Legislation needs 68 votes to pass on the House floor. During Monday's debate, supporters of the bill claimed the legislation would preserve girls sports by ensuring fairness and safety. "It ensures that the protections and opportunities created by Title IX remain in place for the next generation of female athletes in Minnesota," said Rep. Harry Niska (R-Ramsey). At a press conference Monday, Rep. Brion Curran (DFL-White Bear Lake) claimed the measure would allow for discrimination and bullying of trans children who want to play sports. "Republican politicians in Minnesota are falling directly in line with Trump's extreme and cruel agenda by prioritizing political theater and burning valuable legislative hours on targeting our youth and vulnerable Minnesotans rather than addressing the real and imminent issues facing our state," Curran, who leads the Minnesota Queer Legislators Caucus, said. Opponents of the proposal raised concerns about athletes being required to undergo examinations to prove eligibility in sports, increasing scrutiny for girls who participate and overall lowering participation. Because the proposal was not expected to become law in Minnesota due, Democrats have criticized Republican lawmakers for advancing the bill to the House floor. Even if the bill had passed in the House, the DFL-led Senate was not expected to take up the issue. Through a policy in place since 2015, the Minnesota State High School League has allowed athletes to choose which team best aligns with their gender identity. The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights opened a Title IX investigation into the league after the league said it would continue allowing transgender athletes in girls' sports. President Donald Trump issued a Feb. 5 executive order banning transgender athletes in women's sports nationwide.
CBS News
30-01-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Minnesota House Republicans file new lawsuit with state Supreme Court, marking latest development in protracted power dispute
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The power dispute playing out in the Minnesota House is before the state Supreme Court — again. Republicans on Thursday filed a petition to the state's highest court arguing DFL Secretary of State Steve Simon, as the presiding officer of the chamber until it's organized, has overstepped his authority in the days since the House hit the reset button late last week. The chamber went back to square one Monday, following the justices' ruling in another case over quorum, or the minimum number of lawmakers required to conduct any House business, that nullified everything Republicans had done in the previous eight days of session without Democrats at the capitol. DFL lawmakers have been boycotting the session to keep the GOP from acting on the one-seat majority they have — at least for now, until a special election for a vacant seat happens in March. Every day this week, Simon has convened the House, determined no quorum is present, and adjourned. In their new filing, the GOP caucus contends that Simon's actions thwarted their constitutional authority to compel Democrats back to the capitol for session. "We are able to compel absent members, including penalties. We attempted to make that motion four days in a row," said Rep. Harry Niska, R-Ramsey, one of the Republican leaders. "There was one version of it the first two days, another version of it the second two days and he's left us no option but to ask the Supreme Court to again intervene in his interference in our legislative branch activity." Absent an agreement about how they will share power in the event of a tie, Democrats say they are staying away from St. Paul. Niska and GOP Leader Lisa Demuth say they want to pass a motion to fine Democrats each of the days they're not at the capitol, which so far has totalled more than two weeks, but Simon has kept them from doing so. They point to the Constitution allowing for such a step. In the same section where it describes a quorum as a "majority of each house," the document says "but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day and compel the attendance of absent members in the manner and under the penalties it may provide." In a statement, DFL leaders Melissa Hortman and Jamie Long said in a statement that they hope Republicans continue discussions about a deal. Hortman and Demuth had met this week, but no further meetings are scheduled. "Instead of spending even more time and money on lawsuits initiated by Rep. Harry Niska's law firm, House Republicans should join us in negotiations to reach a power sharing agreement that honors the will of the voters," Long said. A spokesperson for Simon's office said they would not comment on pending litigation, but said that his position remains unchanged since the first day of session: "Absent a quorum and an organized House of Representatives, the only item in order is adjournment," she said in an email. Are lawmakers still getting paid during this power dispute? Lawmakers in both parties are still getting a paycheck even though the House isn't organized. That's because payment of their salaries is required by law. Each member is paid an annual salary of $51,750, paid in equal monthly installments on the first business day of each month — though the first payments in January when a new two-year term begins are structured a little differently because the session begins mid-month. That means during this dispute, taxpayers have paid tens of thousands of dollars in the first few weeks of session as the House remains in disarray. What lawmakers cannot collect is any additional compensation. They can choose to get a $86 daily per diem and are allowed to be reimbursed for housing in St. Paul up to $2,200 per month. They also get money back for the miles they put on their car to get to the capitol. Those additional payments are approved by a House resolution. But since they aren't in session, that's not possible. So neither party is getting that additional money for expenses. GOP leaders told reporters they want to fine Democrats for each day they aren't in-person at the capitol, acknowledging they cannot withhold their pay.
