Public Policy Update: Committee Deadlines

The Minnesota Legislature set a breakneck pace for policymaking this year, and Wilder colleagues have testified and rallied with community at the Capitol in support of our legislative agenda. With the first deadline in the rearview mirror, bills such as Driver’s Licenses for All, Voting Rights Restoration and the CROWN Act have already passed.

Here’s a snapshot of our work at the Legislature mid-way through the Session.

Legislators and advocates embarked the first committee deadline on March 10, which requires that a bill has acted favorably in the bill’s chamber of origin. Committee deadlines help refocus the legislature’s attention onto bills that have been introduced and are moving through the legislative session. There will be three committee deadlines this legislative session. The second committee deadline is on Friday, March 24, which requires that a bill’s companion (the one in the opposite chamber) to also act favorably. While there may still be new bill introductions throughout the session, the rate typically slows down during this time of the year. With few exceptions, bills that have not met deadlines will be carried over to next year.

Luckily, all of the bills in Wilder’s Leads and Supports agenda have made it through the first committee deadline and are poised to navigate through the second committee deadline next week. Additionally, many agenda items in Wilder’s Endorses tier are similarly well positioned. While committee deadlines are a chaotic time of the session, they’re critical to ensure the work gets completed by the legislature---especially for a session as busy as this one. Thus far, the 93rd legislative session has seen the introduction of just under 6,000 bills.

We will post a more detailed update in the coming weeks. As always, please reach out to Policy Director Adrián R. Magaña, with any questions.