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CBS News
2 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Minnesota Legislature during special session passes next state budget to avert government shutdown
The Minnesota Legislature approved the remaining pieces of the next state budget on Monday during a special session, after lawmakers failed to complete their work last month. The House adjourned around 10:40 p.m., and the Senate was on track to do the same around midnight or early on Tuesday. They had 14 bills on their to-do list; most of them were spending plans that made up the roughly $66 billion budget for the next two years. The political make-up of the Capitol is unique, with a tied House for only the second time in state history, and is as closely divided as a Legislature can be in Minnesota, with 100 Republicans and 101 Democrats. That made negotiations challenging and forced compromise. "The tie forced us to work together, and I think that's something that people outside of the bubble here in St. Paul are looking for people to do," said House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring. "They want representation in the state that can work together and do the best things for our state." A delayed start in the House, after DFL lawmakers boycotted the first few weeks over a power dispute, ended in overtime. But a divided Legislature is not unique in Minnesota. Four of the last five budget-writing sessions, including this one, have ended with special sessions because they didn't finish the budget on time when Republicans and Democrats shared power. "We prevented a duly elected member of the Minnesota House from being kicked out for no reason whatsoever other than political expediency. And I think in the end, fighting for that equal shared power made this a better session," said former DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman. "And I think the way that today unfolded was about cooperation and collaboration, we could have had that from the word go. I'm really happy that we did finally get there." Finishing their work on Monday prevented nearly 30,000 state workers from getting layoff notices on Tuesday in advance of a partial government shutdown on July 1 if they failed to approve a budget. As of 11:30 p.m. Monday, the Senate had to pass a tax bill and a bonding proposal funding infrastructure projects before they adjourned, but had approved the budget bills. The legislation made significant cuts to stave off a projected $6 billion deficit in future years. Most of the day was smooth sailing after lawmakers in the House began by passing the most contentious bill of the year that will remove undocumented immigrant adults from MinnesotaCare, a state health care coverage program, by the year's end. The debate in that chamber lasted for four hours and at times was emotional. The change was a top priority for Republicans who are concerned that growing enrollment would balloon costs in an unsustainable way. Democrats in both chambers are deeply opposed to the measure, which will preserve coverage for children despite the rollback for adults. Through tears, Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, said approving it, which she agreed to in a larger budget compromise among legislative leaders, was among the most "painful" votes she ever had to take. She and three other Democrats supported it in the Senate. Hortman was the sole DFL vote alongside Republicans in the House. Hortman was similarly emotional when reflecting on that moment. "What I worry about is the people who will lose their health insurance. I know that people will be hurt by that vote," she said. "We worked very hard to try to get a budget deal that wouldn't include that provision, and we tried any other way we could to come to a budget agreement with Republicans, and they wouldn't have it. So I did what leaders do, I stepped up and I got the job done for the people of Minnesota."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Minnesota state representative admits she is in the US illegally during legislative debate
A Minnesota State lawmaker told her colleagues on Monday that she is in the U.S. illegally, as is her family, and have been since fleeing Vietnam after the Vietnam War. Rep. Kaohly Vang Her attended a special session of the Minnesota Legislature convened by Gov. Tim Walz on Monday, where lawmakers were debating about modifying MinnesotaCare eligibility for undocumented adult immigrants. While arguments were being made, Her used the opportunity to share the story of how she arrived in the U.S., telling her colleagues that she is an illegal immigrant. Her said she has been spending a lot of time with her father, who brought the family to the U.S. at the end of the Vietnam War. At one point, she asked her father how he brought the family to the U.S. Colombian Woman Charged With Illegally Voting In 2024 Election Stealing $400,000 In Taxpayer Funded Benefits She previously believed that her family was granted entry into the U.S. because her grandfather was a colonel in the war. But her father told her that was not true. Read On The Fox News App Her father worked for the U.S. Consulate, Her said, and was one of the few there who could speak English and type "really fast." Her said her father had moved to the consulate away from the refugee camp she, her mother and sisters lived at, and his job was to process all the paperwork for the refugees who came to America. Proposed Bill Would Require Law Enforcement In Blue State To Cooperate With Ice: 'A Line Of Communication' While working at the U.S. Consulate, Her's family missed their opportunity to go to the U.S. three times, and there was one more time that they could attempt to go to the U.S. Her told her mother they must have been lucky, but her mom said it was not luck. "We did not have our names on that list to come to the U.S.," Her said, explaining that there was no priority for children of someone who worked for the CIA. "The only people that had names to come to the U.S. were if you were … in the military and you worked for the CIA or worked for USAID." Her's parents worked for a Christian organization, which also did not count. But they were able to find a way by fudging the paperwork, to get to the U.S. 'Shameful': Legal Immigrants Face Uphill Battle Amid Ongoing Border Crisis "What my father did was, one of our uncles worked for USAID, and because his mother had died, my father, as the one processing the paperwork, put my grandmother down as his mother," Her said. "And so, I am illegal in this country. My parents are illegal here in this country. And when we were fleeing that situation, never one time did my family say, 'Let's look at which state has the greatest welfare and which state has the greatest benefits, because that's the state we're going to go to.'" "Nobody leaves their country unless they have to leave that country," she added. Her told the room of lawmakers she shared the story because she wanted them to think about who they are calling illegal immigrants. Her's family was "smarter" in how they came to the U.S., she said, although they broke the laws to get into the country. "I never knew that," she said. "I just learned that now. So, when you're thinking about voting no on this bill, you're voting no against someone like me who paid more into this country than it has ever given to me, that the blood of my grandfather, who died for democracy, that he never received benefits being in this country, and yet he paid taxes his entire life into it." Her's office did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on the matter. Still, Her asked her colleagues to give everyone the same opportunity her family had, however they got to the U.S. "They didn't want to leave where they were," she said. "We are not looking to what state is going to give us the best benefits. We're looking to just be alive."Original article source: Minnesota state representative admits she is in the US illegally during legislative debate
CBS News
3 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Minnesota Legislature is set to begin special session on Monday. What bills are left to pass?
What bills still need to pass the Legislature? What bills still need to pass the Legislature? What bills still need to pass the Legislature? Minnesota lawmakers will return to the capitol on Monday to begin what Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders hope will be a one-day special session to pass the rest of the next two-year state budget. They are set to start at 10 a.m. and end at 7 a.m. Tuesday. The focus will be on 14 bills, mostly spending plans for state programs and services. But there is also a bonding bill funding infrastructure projects and a compromise to remove undocumented immigrant adults from MinnesotaCare, a state health coverage program for low-income people. House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said in an interview on WCCO Sunday Morning that most of the bills were drafted and posted for the public to see, after the provisions were largely negotiated behind closed doors. Lawmakers will begin passing bills right when they gavel in, but it will likely be a long day, she conceded. The special session will be the state's first since 2021. It comes after key negotiators and leaders worked almost around the clock the last three weeks since the regular session ended on May 19, trying to resolve sticking points in the most closely divided Legislature in state history. There is a tied state House and one-seat DFL advantage in the Senate—100 Republicans to 101 Democrats. Because of that make-up, it is as if every individual lawmaker has their own veto power, Walz described the dynamic. "It's not the state budget we would have put together, but it's a compromise, and we have to keep state government functioning," said Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, last week. All sides had to make concessions to ink a deal, refine the proposals, and find a way to ensure passage of the necessary bills to fund state government and its services. They also had to make difficult decisions on where to find savings through cuts since the state is staring down a $6 billion deficit in future years. "Right now, we have a very good state budget that is actually delivering the largest spending cut between biennium to biennium ever. really—almost $5 billion of cuts," Demuth told WCCO Sunday. Roughly 30,000 state workers were set to get a layoff notice Monday morning as part of protocol, since failure to pass a budget by July 1 means a partial government shutdown. But the governor's office said that could be delayed until Tuesday morning, which is when the special session is set to end. If lawmakers complete all their work by that time, the state can avoid sending those messages to employees. What bills still need to pass the Legislature? A majority of the bills that piece together the next two-year, roughly $66 billion budget are on lawmakers' to-do list Monday. Before the regular session ended last month, the Legislature approved funding for the court system and the agriculture and veterans affairs departments. But most of that work was unfinished. Among the provisions in the public safety and judiciary budget that passed is the deal to close the Stillwater prison by 2029. Lawmakers still need to sign off on funding for K-12 education, transportation, health and human services, and more. There is also a tax proposal, which includes increasing the cannabis tax from 10-15%, sparking pushback. They also need to debate the proposal to remove undocumented immigrant adults from MinnesotaCare.
CBS News
05-06-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Saturday special session? Leaders in Minnesota Legislature hope to avoid layoff notices to thousands of state workers
Minnesota legislative leaders and Gov. Tim Walz hope there will be a special session of the Legislature this weekend before layoff notices will be sent to nearly 30,000 state workers on Monday. They had pushed for mid-week, but by Wednesday they said negotiators still hadn't buttoned up outstanding issues, causing further delays. Walz will call a special session when the bills are complete, drafted and ready for passage. Leaders and key lawmakers have been working on the remaining parts of the budget for weeks, largely out of public view. DFL Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman said Wednesday they are "urgently" trying to finish by the weekend to avoid sending state employees that dreaded message. But other self-imposed deadlines have come and gone since the regular session ended May 19 and lawmakers began their behind-the-scenes work to finish everything up. "We are making progress. It is as slow as molasses, but molasses is good, and we are going to get done. I cross my fingers," said Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-Saint Paul. This is the most closely divided Legislature in Minnesota history, which makes the process uniquely delicate and difficult to get everything done. It's unclearif there are even the votes to pass some parts of the carefully crafted agreement they made in late May. "We're at a point right now where, quite candidly, and the legislators know this—I'm not even saying as a pejorative—every single legislator is potentially a veto over the whole deal to get some of this done," Walz said. Among the sticking points are how they will pass a rollback of state health coverage for undocumented immigrants—a compromise reached by GOP and DFL leaders. There is also some contention with a transportation funding package and provisions in a tax bill. Many DFL lawmakers deeply oppose the cuts to MinnesotaCare for adults who are living in the country illegally. Murphy has said it needs to be a stand-alone bill to ensure passage, an acknowledgment of the many likely defectors she will have in her caucus, which only has a one-seat majority in the chamber. Republicans will need to support it. House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said for a stand-alone bill to happen, her caucus needs language in the legislation to ensure it won't be vetoed. Republicans, she said, want that assurance, even though Walz signed the agreement with leaders that included the change. "Some of the things that we're looking at is if that would be broken out into a separate bill, there would have to be a guaranteed contingency—say, funding for MDH, or whatever that might look like—that would be a guarantee that that bill would both be passed and enacted," she said. If lawmakers do not finish by the weekend, the layoff notices will be sent Monday morning, Walz said. Failure to pass the rest of the budget by June 30 will trigger a partial government shutdown on July 1, the start of the next fiscal year. The governor told reporters he doesn't think that will happen, but nevertheless Minnesota Management and Budget—which oversees the state's finances and payroll and HR operations for state workers—is following protocols to prepare for that possibility. Some state services, agencies and programs would remain operational in that scenario because the Legislature did approve some budget bills before session ended last month, like spending plans for the judiciary and state government offices like the secretary of state and attorney general.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Minnesota Legislature budget progress slow, but work getting done
The Brief After day three following the end of the legislative session, many bills remain incomplete. The Minnesota Legislature missed their May 19 deadline. Working groups pressed ahead in preparation for a special session. ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - It has been days after the end of Minnesota's regular legislative session, but the state's next two-year budget remains incomplete. The backstory The Minnesota Legislature missed its May 19 deadline to pass the next two-year budget. The Minnesota Legislature is closely divided – tied in the House and Democrats have a one-seat majority in the Senate. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and legislative leaders had previously announced a universal agreement that working groups are using as a framework. That two-year budget agreement was roughly $66 billion. What we know Since the end of the regular session, many of the meetings have been happening behind closed doors. However, more working groups held public meetings on Thursday. Leaders in both chambers said progress is slow, but work is getting done. They said most bills are either close to being done or essentially done and groups were finalizing language. House leaders called out taxes, education, and health and human services as still needing quite a bit of work. They also said mediators were needed to help transportation along. A major point of contention remains unresolved -- whether to continue funding health insurance for adults who are undocumented. What they're saying When asked about how the news coming out of Washington D.C., as House Republicans passed a sweeping bill including tax cuts and changes to Medicaid, will impact state budget discussions, state leaders said they will not change course – for now. "We will likely be back later this summer or this fall to reconcile the damage they are doing to Minnesota's budget, to Minnesota's healthcare system and to Minnesotans' lives. But right now, we have to do this job," said Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, (DFL-St. Paul). "We were already having those conversations and signed a deal before anything would have passed federally in the House. Our decisions going forward are going to adhere to what we know and what we have already signed in on our global deal with the governor and the other leaders," said House Speaker Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring), What's next Gov. Walz said he will not call a special session until all the work is done. Legislative leaders said, in terms of timing, it will be mid-next week at the earliest. A budget needs to be passed by June 30th to avoid a government shutdown. The Source Minnesota Legislature, Minnesota House of Representatives, Minnesota Senate.
