The impasse in the Minnesota House of Representatives came to end this week as the result of an agreement reached between DFL and GOP leaders. The House met Thursday to formally organize and elect officers. Per the terms of the agreement, Representative Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring) was elected Speaker of the House for the next two years. Republicans will control committees likely until next month, when a special election for District 40B is expected to bring the House to a 67-67 tie. Following that, committees will have co-chairs and equal membership between the two parties.

The exception is the Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee, which will consist of five Republicans and three Democrats for the full term. This committee can issue subpoenas with a two-thirds vote, which would require a Democrat to vote with the five Republican members.

The Senate returned to 34-33 Democratic control on Monday when Senator Doron Clark (DFL-Minneapolis) was sworn in, ending the power-sharing agreement the Senate operated under for the past few weeks.

Bills this week:

SF 296 (Dahms)/HF XXXX - Minnesota Agricultural Education and Leadership Council grants appropriation.

Summary: Appropriates money to the Minnesota Agricultural Education and Leadership Council (MAELC) to provide grants supporting of ag education including 4-H and FFA.

Position: Support as written.

To our members: MAELC’s support of agricultural educators, 4-H, and FFA has driven agriculture forward in a big way. Getting more ag educators in the classroom and students involved in ag education paves the way for the future of our industry.

Action taken by MFBF: Provided verbal testimony in support of the bill.

Status: Laid over in the Senate Agriculture Committee on 02/03/2025. Not yet introduced in the House.

 

SF 310 (Dornink)/HF XXXX - Employee definition modified for the purposes of earned sick and safe time.

Summary: Exempts farms with five or less full-time employees from the Earned Sick and Safe Time law.

Position: Support as written.

To our members: An exemption for seasonal farm employees already exists. This new exemption would be particularly helpful for dairy and livestock operations, as animal care cannot be deferred. There has been confusion among employers regarding how to implement the ESST law. This exemption would provide relief to the agriculture sector, which already struggles with finding reliable, consistent labor.

Action taken by MFBF: Provided verbal testimony in support of the bill.

Status: Passed the Senate Agriculture Committee on 02/03/2025 and sent to the Senate floor. Not yet introduced in the House.

The MFBF public policy team and leadership are keeping track of everything that happens at the Capitol. Throughout the session, we will continue to provide updates and insight into our work on behalf of our members.