[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6580839,"mediaKeyId","3098261-c6780398a302407d24607a2d511434e3","parentId",3098261,"title","Senate advances state and local government omnibus; panel approves additions for Secretary of State, grant oversight and capital-mall projects","audioSeconds",2630,"startMs",2639000,"endMs",8401,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3098261-c6780398a302407d24607a2d511434e3&start=2639&end=8","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3098261-c6780398a302407d24607a2d511434e3/thumbnail_2639000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6580839/Minnesota/Senate-advances-state-and-local-government-omnibus-panel-approves-additions-for-Secretary-of-State-grant-oversight-and-capital-mall-projects","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6580839-8c9d515508d09e9a3ab5e2e5c345f90e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771129481&Signature=fXSfiDd2guzVYDIVphrgTosuWsr1uzdoX--weHS0RbnYT2P2M3Lh4HFIaVKKEL5JOwVCPZhv5IiTU6rxI~rjezErKjJdBHX4~AgGtk4Rex9ilwhtaLg9awzrAjRGi2WwC8HlyzMnu2OwUA55flzBPlNKyIsmeHMSHbBt6OXStmuYYWO7-w65M-v4f3tytsr~zCt3Cr50nuV~2FMuakmlae7Sr8VgqOdrqUxLIqj0LLV7brcRRtOlwwv8kSzg-A-9MHS9KSTlEsrVkyLETu9cRE81508YCcQ13AIpS9379Isu8HlL~u0lgbuBEOuwOIVPhw5Gqa7dPpaIwvZ0ucRY8w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Minnesota Legislature","date","2025-04-23T16:52:28.707Z","article","The Minnesota Senate Finance Committee on April 23 considered Senate File 3045, the state and local government omnibus budget, approving a series of amendments that add operating funding for state agencies, reappropriate capital-area funds and direct work on grant-administration policy.

Committee fiscal staff presented a detailed spreadsheet showing agency-by-agency changes. Nonpartisan fiscal analyst Mr. Erickson described a range of items in the bill: operating adjustments to the legislature, the attorney general’s office and many boards and councils; an appropriation for the secretary of state; grant changes at the Department of Administration; and several smaller increases for cultural and advisory councils.

Senator Sean (bill sponsor) and staff explained that the bill “focuses on maintaining stability across state operations, modernizing our core systems and strengthening public oversight.” Committee members debated several late-filed amendments that affected appropriations and statutory language.

Amendment A-38 increased the secretary of state’s operating budget by about $1.22 million and corrected technical revenue language. Senator Friends moved the A-38 amendment; the committee adopted it after debate. Secretary of State Steve Simon later thanked the committee for the operating adjustment, noting his office remains a net contributor to the general fund and that increased operational pressure comes from higher volume of filings and rising postage costs: “business filings are up 25% in the last few years,” Simon said, and “postage is up 23% in the last few years.” He also highlighted program needs such as the address‑confidentiality Safe at Home program.

The committee considered several other amendments of note:

- A-30 repealed language (Subdivision 14 of Minnesota Statutes section 16B.98) that automatically allows agencies to retain a statutory share (commonly cited as up to 5% or 10%) of certain grant appropriations for administration; supporters said repealing the default gives legislators and chairs discretion to set administration allowances case-by-case. The committee adopted the repeal.

- A-32 canceled an unspent $5 million balance in a capital-area community vitality account and reappropriated those funds for capital-mall improvements and community vitality grants; the amendment specified $3 million to Ramsey County for sheriff-public-safety/community programming and $2 million to the Saint Paul Foundation for community grants, and was adopted.

- A-36 created a short-term working group (with a small appropriation) to develop best-practice recommendations for how the legislature should decide when to use direct appropriations, competitive grants, or procurement contracts; the amendment was requested in part by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and was adopted.

- A-37 removed a statutory minimum-parking requirement for the Capitol area, giving local authorities more flexibility on parking design; the committee adopted the amendment.

Committee witnesses included Deputy Commissioner Bridal Rayton of Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB), MNIT Commissioner Derek Tombs, Department of Administration Commissioner Tamar Grumbaugh, and Secretary of State Steve Simon. Testimony highlighted operational cost pressures such as increasing health‑care contributions, FICA/Medicare, IT and utility costs, and the need for grant-administration resources.

Members also debated funding increases for several ethnic and cultural councils (African Heritage, Latino Affairs, Council for Asian Pacific Minnesotans, LGBTQIA2S+ Council), with one amendment proposed by Senator Pratt to equalize increases across councils failing on a recorded voice vote.

Later in the day the committee voted to insert the contents of the elections omnibus (Senate File 3096, previously laid on the table) into the state and local government omnibus. The clerk recorded 6 ayes and 4 nays on that motion and it prevailed. The committee then recommended passage of the omnibus, as amended, and instructed staff to make technical and conforming changes.

The omnibus bill contains a broad mix of operating adjustments, one‑time appropriations and policy changes affecting numerous state agencies, and includes targeted items such as a $250,000 grant for the Minnesota Orchestra and a $220,000 grant for the History Theater. Members repeatedly questioned whether larger structural decisions — hiring, long-term service levels and local government fiscal impacts — were being addressed at the same time the bill added agency operating adjustments.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Committee on Finance - 04/23/25","oneSentenceSummary","The Minnesota Senate Finance Committee on April 23 considered Senate File 3045, the state and local government omnibus budget, adopting amendments that increase operating funding for several agencies, reappropriate capital-area funds, and direct a short-term review of grant-administration practices.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MN, Minnesota","taxId",77817,"location","Minnesota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6580844,"Senate committee advances elections budget after debate on billing major parties for presidential nominating primary",1585,157000,1742000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3098261-c6780398a302407d24607a2d511434e3&start=157&end=1742","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3098261-c6780398a302407d24607a2d511434e3/thumbnail_157000.jpg","/articles/6580844/Minnesota/Senate-committee-advances-elections-budget-after-debate-on-billing-major-parties-for-presidential-nominating-primary","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6580844-c77173dabac37fed519ce0f9295d887c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771129481&Signature=PuL48AfeuyE7~UnRlblG-8dWID~MUbQ3PY6PbXqI8Tv3E9nfZ8yuDn3IhQtNgv2Y1Naw2E2iM2-850jm8Lp5TJUzFy5pbiI9rUB1HU6Xn0OvCfgcIiFlZduivp9JS5~ucVtbbyNuYmkWifdZsrZIuwDSIaTr83Ia~m86Kwg1~-k8pdL6bnXy3w4XciFvxhZsxW4O86bvjA7WZGSLJIOFV-MEPuDTOJrNTyWuiDxE8d0HvuifD-m0fjgcpjJ9nYRkdPoH2RKj0o8iA95vsucLr~nK2PuerU~8LTTyFmvQJ-OtaXP7acytpTPWf71s1xG5LmCzTg8T1f6wzXkryr7q9g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Minnesota Senate Finance Committee on April 23 reviewed Senate File 3096, the elections omnibus budget bill, and accepted a reporting amendment on voter outreach before laying the bill, as amended, on the table.

Committee members heard a walk-through of fiscal items from a nonpartisan fiscal analyst and then debated a provision that would have the state bill major political parties for their share of the cost of administering a presidential nominating primary. Opponents said the move could discourage third-party participation; supporters called the primary essentially a party-run straw poll and argued the parties should pay if they ask the state to run it.

The committee’s fiscal analyst, Mr. Erickson, described the bill’s net fiscal changes to the secretary of state and the campaign finance board. Erickson said the bill includes “$260,000 one time for the secretary of state to conduct some voter outreach efforts,” “$200,000 one time for a HAVA federal funds match,” about $79,000 in an operating adjustment for the campaign finance board, and “$500,000 in one time money to the campaign finance board for litigation expenses.”

Erickson also explained how the bill would recognize costs for the presidential nominating primary in the revenues section: “money in fiscal 28 of $15,252,000. This is part of a change item to bill parties for the cost of the presidential nomination primary,” he said, adding that the bill would invoice parties and deposit the receipts in the general fund as non-dedicated receipts.

Senator Pratt and other members questioned the policy and precedent of billing parties for a statewide primary. Pratt said the expense of holding the primary is the same regardless of how many parties participate and warned the change could “stifle third party voices.” Senator Westland, the bill sponsor, described the primary as “basically...a straw poll” and said initial estimates rose from approximately $3 million to about $15 million, leaving few other budget options for covering the cost in a tight budget year.

Senators also debated mechanics if one party declined to participate. Erickson and Westland explained that the secretary of state would certify an initial cost estimate and invoice major parties for an equal share of that certified amount; any shortfall beyond the initial certification would come from the open appropriation and thereby affect general-fund revenues.

On amendments, Senator Pratt offered the A-9 amendment to allocate new money to the secretary of state for voter-turnout work and to require reporting on how that money was spent and any impact on turnout. Senator Westland accepted the amendment as friendly, and the committee adopted it by voice vote.

After further discussion, Senator Frentz (listed in the transcript as Senator Friends) moved to lay Senate File 3096, as amended, on the table. The committee recorded a roll call. The clerk announced 9 ayes and 2 nays; the chair declared the motion carried and the committee recessed for 10 minutes.

The committee’s actions on the elections omnibus will be incorporated into later work on the state and local government omnibus budget, as the committee continued to consider related bills later in the day.

Questions raised during the discussion centered on: whether a state-run presidential nominating primary is a party function (the parties request administration), how the state would invoice and certify costs, the risk that billing may suppress participation by smaller parties, and the limited size of the elections portion of the overall budget.

The committee did not adopt final passage of the elections omnibus at the April 23 hearing; it laid the bill on the table after amendments and a recorded roll-call vote.","The Senate Finance Committee reviewed the elections omnibus budget (Senate File 3096), approved a reporting amendment on voter outreach and laid the bill, as amended, on the table after debate over provisions that would bill major parties for the cost of a presidential nominating primary.","actionData","errors"]

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Senate advances state and local government omnibus; panel approves additions for Secretary of State, grant oversight and capital-mall projects

Senate committee advances elections budget after debate on billing major parties for presidential nominating primary