Purpose of the Bill

The purpose of this bill is to regulate how certain bills can be included in omnibus bills by standing committees in the Minnesota legislature. It aims to establish specific voting requirements for these inclusions to ensure fair consideration of proposed legislation.

Main Provisions

• Vote Threshold for Inclusion: The bill mandates that any proposal seeking to be laid over for possible inclusion in a major finance or policy omnibus bill by a standing committee must be approved by at least a two-thirds majority of the committee's members.
• Alternative Actions for Failing Bills: If a bill fails to achieve this two-thirds majority, the committee has several options:
  1. Refer the bill to another committee.
  2. Refer the bill to the full legislative body for consideration.
  3. Table the bill.
  4. The chair may decide to take no further action on the bill.
• Protection Against Unapproved Inclusion: Bills that are tabled or receive no further action due to a negative vote cannot be added to any subsequent delete-everything amendment or omnibus bill unless a specific amendment, passed by the committee, is adopted. This amendment must exclusively include policy items that are specific to the failed bill.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• The bill introduces new procedural requirements for the Minnesota legislature concerning how bills can be processed for inclusion in omnibus bills. This aims to increase transparency and scrutiny, preventing bills from being grouped into omnibus legislation without sufficient committee approval.
• Both the House of Representatives and the Senate are required to adopt procedural rules to ensure the implementation of these new requirements.

Relevant Terms

vote threshold, standing committee, omnibus bill, two-thirds majority, committee vote, legislative process, procedural rules.