The legislature was working overtime this week as the second deadline was Thursday at midnight. Policy bills needed to pass out of committee in the second chamber if they were to continue to be discussed during the remainder of the legislative session.
Legislators will now head back to their districts for the next week for a well deserved break before they return on April 9th for the final sprint.
Status of Housing First Minnesota Priorities
Reducing the Regulatory Burden for Minnesota Families: HF 3044, authored by Rep. Bob Vogel (Elko New Market) was heard in the House Jobs and Economic Growth Committee on Wednesday. David Siegel, Executive Director, and Nick Erickson, Regulatory Affairs Manager, testified on behalf of the bill. The bill was recommended for inclusion in the omnibus bill. Its Senate companion, SF 2567 was heard in early March and was also recommended for inclusion in the omnibus bill.
Addressing the Workforce Shortage, Project Build Minnesota Allocation: HF 3810, authored by Rep. Regina Barr (Inver Grove Heights) and SF 3430, authored by Sen. Rich Draheim (Madison Lake) were introduced two in mid-March. These bills ask the legislature for workforce development dollars to enhance Project Build Minnesota’s efforts. The language is for $1,000,000 in fiscal year 2019 appropriated from the workforce development fund. The single-year request in 2019 reflects the second year of the current two-year budget, which begins on July 1. Expect further discussion in mid-April.
In addition to these priorities your advocacy team is constantly working with other stakeholders to advance housing friendly initiatives and to defend against harmful legislation.
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