This past month, GMPT provided a comprehensive legislative update as bills moved forward at the…
Legislative Updates
The picture becomes more clear as legislative deadlines near
April 4 is the first and second committee deadline at the Minnesota Legislature. That means all policy bills must have moved through all relevant committees by this date to advance further toward passage. Everything that GMPT is affirmatively lobbying for is finance-related, so there is an additional week for things to move forward.
You can read about some of the recent activities in the summary of our most recent forum below, but a number of things have happened since then.
- The Senate passed its version of the Legacy bill (S.F. 2865) out of the Environment, Climate, and Legacy Committee to Ways and Means. This bill incorporated our proposed language from S.F. 1039 ensuring Greater Minnesota receives 20% of the parks and trails Legacy Fund, extending the deadline availability for a number of projects, and setting DNR compensation for grant-related services.
- The day the Legacy bill was passed, Executive Director Renee Mattson of the Greater Minnesota Regional Parks & Trails Commission (GMRPTC) and GMPT Lobbyist Elizabeth Wefel worked with Sen. Grant Hauschild (DFL-Hermantown) to add an amendment returning $41,000 to Greater Minnesota that would have been canceled.
- The housing bills that could have impacted local governments’ abilities to require park dedication on new housing developments stalled. We do not know if the bills will advance any further.
- The Governor announced his amended budget, which included a $1 million cut from the General Fund of money that would have gone to the local trail connections program. Read more about it here in our action alert.
We anticipate the House will roll out initial versions of their Legacy bill, and both bodies will roll out their Environment Finance and Policy bills next week.
RECAP: March legislative forum discussed what to expect in second half of session
Earlier in March, GMPT lobbyist Elizabeth Wefel provided another informative legislative update, discussing the current state of the legislative session and the legislative agenda. She also highlighted the importance of member involvement in the legislative lobbying efforts of GMPT and discussed several financial and legislative issues affecting parks and trails funding. Lastly, Elizabeth emphasized the importance of connecting with lawmakers and sharing feedback, and encouraged everyone to stay engaged.
Due to technical difficulties, this forum was not recorded. Click below for the forum summary and presentation slides.
If you have any questions on these developments or our legislative work, you can reach out to GMPT Lobbyist Elizabeth Wefel at eawefel@flaherty-hood.com.
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