Virtual File - Item

Text: Senate Counsel, Research,
and Fiscal Analysis
Minnesota Senate Building
95 University Ave. W. Suite 3300
Sr. PAUL, MN 55155-1800
(651)296-4791
THOMAS S. BoITERN
DIRECTOR
TO: All Senators and Staff
FROM: Thomas S. Bottern, Senate Counsel (651/296-3810)
DATE: March 13, 2018
RE: Committee Deadlines
Senate
State of Minnesota
This memo is intended to help you understand the effect of the committee deadlines
resolution and Joint Rule 2.03 on Senate committee activity. In addition to reading the memo,
please read the attached copies of the committee deadline resolution and Joint Rule 2.03 to
ensure that you understand how this process will work. Feel free to use the contact inf01mation
provided at the end of the memo to confirm your understanding.
What Happens After First Deadline and Before Second Deadline
As you know, the first deadline for committee action on policy bills (as opposed to omnibus
appropriation and finance bi11s) is Thursday, March 22. After that date, and before the second
deadline on Thursday, March 29, Senate committees passing bills will need to ensure that the
House companion to each bill that is passed by the Senate committee has met the first deadline in
the House. This can be accomplished in several ways, described as follows:
First, if the House companion bill has been referred to a House committee that has finance
jurisdiction (for example the Public Safety Security and Finance Committee) or a committee that
is exempt from deadlines under Joint Rule 2.03 (in the House, this includes the Capital
Investment, Ways and Means, Taxes, and Rules and Legislative Administration Committees) as
of 11 :59 p.m. on the date of the first deadline, the companion bill will be treated as having met
first deadline, even if that committee has not yet given the bill a hearing.
Second, if the bill taken up by the Senate committee is a House file, the first deadline
requirement has been met. Note that House files in Senate committees will still be subject to
second deadline as described below.
Third, if the House companion to the Senate file that is being passed by a Senate committee has
been recommended to pass (sent to the House floor) by a House committee by the first deadline,
the House companion has met first deadline.
After Second Deadline
After the second deadline (11 :59 p.m. on March 29) any bill (this includes House Files) passed
by a committee will be treated as a late bill unless the committee that passes the bill is exempt
from deadlines under Joint Rule 2.03 (In the Senate, this includes the Capital Investment,
Finance, Taxes, and Rules and Administration Committees) or the bill is one of the major
appropriation and finance bills.
The third deadline (Friday, April 20, at 11 :59 p.m.) is for committee passage of all major
appropriation and finance bills (also refetTed to as omnibus budget bills.) Note that this deadline
does not apply to committees that are exempt from deadlines.
What Happens to Late Bills
A bill that fails to meet deadlines is automatically referred to the Rules Committee under Joint
Rule 2.03. A committee passing a late bill should not refer the bill to the Rules Committee unless
the Rules Committee needs to see it for some other reason. There is no requirement for the Rules
Committee to hold a hearing to determine whether a bill may be exempted from the application
of the deadlines, but that is an option available to the Rules Committee.
Who to Contact
If you have questions and would like advice regarding the application of the Joint Rule on
committee deadlines, please feel free to contact Tom Bottern (Senate Counsel to the Rules
Committee; 296-3810) or Melissa Mapes (the Senate Engrossing Secretary, 296-4149). If you
have last-minute info1mation about the status of a House companion bill, it will be helpful to let
Melissa know that so that she can ensure the committee report is handled appropriately.
2
03/13/18 COUNSEL TSB/RDR SCR9
1.1 A Senate concurrent resolution
1.2 adopting deadlines for the 2018 session.
1.3 BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the State of Minnesota, the House of Representatives
1.4 concurnng:
1.5 In accordance with Joint Rule 2.03, the deadlines in this resolution apply to the 2018 regular
1.6 session.
l.7 (1) The first deadline is Thursday, March 22, 2018, at 11:59 p.m.
1.8 (2) The second deadline is Thursday, March 29, 2018, at 11 :59 p.m.
1.9 (3) The third deadline, Friday, April 20, 2018, at 11 :59 p.m., is for committees to act favorably
1.1 o on major appropriation and finance bills.
5.3 DEADLINES
5.4 2.03 The Legislature shall establish by concurrent resolution deadlines for each regular
5.5 session. The deadlines do not apply to the House committees on Capital Investment, Ways and
5.6 Means, Finance, Taxes, or Rules and Legislative Administration, nor to the Senate committees on
5. 7 Capital Investment, Finance, Taxes, or Rules and Administration.
5.8 The first deadline is for committees to act favorably on bills in the house of origin.
5.9 The second deadline is for committees to act favorably on bills, or companions of bills, that
5. lo met the first deadline in the other house.
5 .11 A committee has until the second deadline to act favorably on a bill, or the companion of a
5.12 bill, that by the first deadline was referred to a finance committee. The deadline for a committee
5.13 of either house to act on a bill that has been recommended favorably by the Legislative Commission
5.14 on Pensions and Retirement is the second committee deadline. The major appropriation bills are
5 .15 exempt from the first two deadlines.
5.16 The third deadline is for committees to act favorably on major appropriation and finance
5.17 bills.
5. l8 When a committee in either house acts favorably on a bill after a deadline established in the
5.19 concurrent resolution, the bill must be referred in the Senate to the Committee on Rules and
5.20 Administration and in the House of Representatives to the Committee on Rules and Legislative
5 .21 Administration for disposition. Either rules committee, when reporting a bill referred to the committee
5.22 under this rule, may waive application of the rule to subsequent actions on that bill by other
s .23 committees,
5.24 All bills necessary to implement the governor's budget submitted by a state agency or
5 .25 department must be made available for introduction within 15 calendar days after the governor's
5.26 budget was submitted. A bill introduced after that date must be referred to the Committee on Rules
5 .27 and Administration in the Senate or the Committee on Rules and Legislative Administration in the
5.28 House of Representatives and may not be heard without the approval of that committee.