Committee Deadlines Draw Near, Work on State Budget Ramps Up

by Sam Richie, AASPMN Lobbyist

The Legislature returned from a short break for the Eid holiday to focus on the budget setting process in earnest in early April.

This year, legislative leadership elected to combine two deadlines, customarily a week or two apart, and require that bills must be acted on by all policy committees in both chambers by the end of the day on April 4. This resulted in numerous late night committee hearings throughout the week as committee chairs and bill authors scrambled to ensure their priority bills met deadline requirements. Finance committees were also working on putting together their budget bills, as the third committee deadline was set for April 11, meaning all omnibus budget and policy bills had to be passed out of committee and moved onto the Ways and Means Committee and the Finance Committee in the House and Senate respectively.

While rank and file lawmakers focused on meeting deadlines and committee chairs assembled omnibus bills, the political end-of-session posturing has already kicked off with Republicans criticizing Governor Tim Walz for his national town hall tour, while Walz has cited multiple meetings with legislative leaders in recent weeks to show he remains committed to negotiating a state budget before the legislature adjourns in May. 

Budget Targets Released 

Sen. Erin Murphy (DFL-St. Paul) and Senate DFL leaders released their preliminary budget targets in advance of the April 11 deadline to pass the finance bill. The Senate budget targets call for a reduction in the state general fund spending of $746 million in fiscal years 2026 and 2027 and $1.7 billion in fiscal years 2028 and 2029. These cuts are in response to the state’s February budget forecast that showed a substantial structural deficit in the 2028-2029 biennium. Each committee has a specific target to meet, with many of them requiring a reduction to their budgets. This is certainly a far cry from the last budget-setting session when the state was sitting on a record surplus and budget committee chairs were able to prioritize new spending without facing any cuts. 

Senate District 6 Special Election Set

Governor Walz called a special election for Senate District 6, which is the district recently vacated by former Senator Justin Eichorn who resigned after being arrested and charged with soliciting a minor. The special election was to be held on  April 29. A primary was expected to be held on Tuesday, April 15, as six Republicans and a Democrat candidate have already announced their plans to seek the seat. The Republican primary sees some familiar names including, former chair of the Minnesota Republican Party Jennifer Carnahan, Keri Heintzeman (the wife of State Representative Josh Heintzeman) and Josh Gazelka (the son of former Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka), who have all announced their intention to seek the seat. This district heavily favors the GOP and is expected to remain in Republican hands, which would bring the Senate back to a 34-33 margin with the DFL controlling the Senate by a single vote. 

AASPMN Legislation to Receive Hearing in Senate Commerce Committee 

AASPMN has been informed that it will be receiving an informational hearing on Senate File 2209 after the Legislature returns from their Easter/Passover recess in the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee. While this hearing will take place after committee deadlines have passed, it is a great step for us to frame the issue for work in the second year of the biennium when bills that deal with policy rather than spending are the focus. AASPMN has worked on this bill language for several years and are pleased to have an opportunity to have the bill heard in committee. 

Want more? Check out the May 2025 issue of AASP-MN News!