Minnesota Lawyer

The Senate passed the $10.8 billion health and human services finance bill on a straight party-line 36-28 vote on Wednesday evening. The legislation constitutes roughly one third of the entire state budget.

The House passed the omnibus tax conference report early Wednesday morning 71-58.

Greater Minnesota business leaders took to the Capitol Monday to protest proposed cuts to local government aid (LGA) in the Republican budget bills.

In an overture to Republicans aimed at reaching a budget accord by the May 23 adjournment deadline, Gov. Mark Dayton has slimmed down the tax increases in his budget proposal.

The House passed legislation allocating $540 million in Legacy funds to environmental and cultural programs by an 86-45 margin on Saturday. The bill drew support from 66 Republicans and 20 Democrats.

Under the Legislature's tax omnibus bill, 72,500 households would no longer qualify for the renter property tax refund program, according to an analysis by the Minnesota Department of Revenue. Overall the bill negotiated by the tax conference committee cuts the program by $186 million in the 2012-13 budget cycle.

The health and human services conference committee passed a finance bill on Thursday evening that reduces spending by $1.8 billion in the next biennium. Roughly half the savings -- $921 million -- comes from eliminating Medicaid eligibility for adults without children.

The health and human services bill that's currently being debated in conference committee is expected to eliminate the General Assistance program for poor adults without children, according to lobbyists who closely track the issue. The program provides $203 in cash assistance to roughly 20,000 individuals each month and is slated to cost $102 million in the next biennium.

The conservative advocacy group Minnesota Majority is buying radio advertisements and launching a website focused on the state budget debate. Other advocacy groups on the right and left, however, aren't spending their cash on media until progress is made between Republicans and DFLers in budget negotiations.

Tempers are starting to flare in budget conference committees with just two weeks remaining in the legislative session. In today's hearing on the state government and military affairs finance bill, Sen. Mike Parry bristled at the testimony of Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner James Schowalter.