Purpose and Scope

• This measure adopts the temporary Joint Rules governing how the Minnesota Senate and House will operate together for the 94th legislative session. It uses the temporary joint rules from the 93rd session, with a specific amendment to Joint Rule 2.06 about Conference Committees. The rules stay in effect until permanent joint rules are adopted.

Main Change: Conference Committee Rules (Joint Rule 2.06)

• Conference Committees are created when the two chambers disagree on amendments to a bill, memorial, or resolution.
• Membership: A Conference Committee should include members from both houses, with a specified size (not fewer than 3 members and not more than 6 members from each house).
• Selection: Each house appoints its conferees, and all conference activities are open to the public.
• Scheduling and conduct: Conference Committee meetings should be announced well in advance to provide notice (about 24 hours when possible). Meetings occur at an agreed time, and conferees must explain the reasons for their positions.
• Timing restrictions: No meetings between midnight and 7:00 a.m., except that a meeting can be extended up to one hour past midnight if two-thirds of the conferees vote to do so. The chair rotates between the Senate and the House at least once per calendar day, excluding Sundays and holidays.
• Reporting: The committee must report back to the respective chambers with the agreement reached or simply a statement of disagreement if no agreement is reached.
• Scope of the conference report: The report can only address provisions that are germane to the original bill or amendment referred to the committee. It cannot include provisions from other bills unless those provisions were referred to the committee or are otherwise included in the referred bill/amendment.
• Budget and money: A conference report cannot appropriate more money than the larger amount of either the original bill or the amendments, unless the Speaker (House) and the Majority Leader (Senate) authorize a larger appropriation.
• Subject matter and scope: The conference report may include only subject matter contained in the versions that were referred to the Conference Committee.
• Limitations on creating new bodies or shifting rulemaking: The report cannot create new commissions, councils, task forces, boards, or similar bodies, or delegate rulemaking to a state department or agency, or exempt a department from rulemaking, unless such delegation or exemption was included in the referred bill or amendment.
• transmission and transparency: If the report is adopted and repassed as amended, it, along with the bill and the record of action, is sent to the other house. A copy of the conference report must be placed on each member’s desk (or delivered electronically) at least 12 hours before action on the report. If a Journal entry is available for a preceding day, that Journal copy may serve as the written report. The conferees must disclose substantial changes from the bill or amendment when presenting the report.

Transparency and Public Access

• All Conference Committee proceedings must be open to the public.
• Meetings should be publicly announced in advance as far as practical to allow public notice.
• Written or oral disclosures of substantial changes are required during the report presentation.

Administrative and Procedural Impacts

• The temporary rules apply only for the 94th session until permanent rules are adopted.
• Provisions emphasize openness, accountability, and limiting overreach by conferees (e.g., no broad or unrelated policy changes, no extra spending beyond the larger of the two versions, and no delegation of rulemaking unless specifically included).

Significance compared to existing practice

• Strengthens public oversight and transparency of conference deliberations.
• Tightens limits on what can be included in conference reports (germane content only, no new bodies, no broad delegations).
• Tightens budgetary controls within conference reports.
• Establishes explicit timelines, notice requirements, and daily rotation to govern conference operations.

Potential Implications for Stakeholders

• Lawmakers: clearer rules on how conference committees operate and report.
• Public and watchdog groups: greater access to conference discussions and clearer disclosure of changes.
• State agencies: constrained authority to gain new rulemaking powers or to be exempted from rulemaking through conference reports unless specified in the referred bill.

Terminology Highlights

• Conference Committee, Joint Rules, Temporary Joint Rules, Germane, Appropriation, Rulemaking, Department or Agency, Commission/Council/Task Force/Board, House of Origin, Majority Leader, Speaker, Open to the public, 24-hour notice, Journal, Transmission, Desks, Substantial changes.

Relevant Terms conference committee; joint rules; temporary joint rules; 94th session; 93rd session; germane; appropriation; rulemaking; department; agency; commission; council; task force; board; House of Representatives; Senate; Majority Leader; Speaker; open to the public; 24-hour notice; midnight; 7:00 a.m.; rotation; chair; report; transparency; desk copy; Journal; substantial changes; transmission; bill; amendment; measure.