[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-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",[32,76,88],{"_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",6535456,"mediaKeyId","3396556-aaa705d1b0b48d7e378d67b86012a670","parentId",3396556,"title","Conference committee approves election changes, adopts ballot drop‑off provision and special‑election timing; anti‑bribery expansion fails","audioSeconds",973,"startMs",1408184,"endMs",2382160,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3396556-aaa705d1b0b48d7e378d67b86012a670&start=1408&end=2382","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3396556-aaa705d1b0b48d7e378d67b86012a670/thumbnail_1408184.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6535456/Minnesota/Conference-committee-approves-election-changes-adopts-ballot-dropoff-provision-and-specialelection-timing-antibribery-expansion-fails","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6535456-4e8f252d928d1bcf94a21ead4097dad9/orig.mp4?Expires=1776151941&Signature=W0ovin2OC8TPEIrgMl0pMEcUMeSV9eQdgzItJZgw9zDEKrLe1vvpESSqGfkpqYpPs8PqJz-PEVa3QkEkt27lQxsqifiZ4lRsCI8UbfoYg1uxZh1BLf0zBl3IJ0aHJQny4DpgBONJyO2E~1vMPeE21Q0h2nQ4Imk5vB8TmeIiUP92DrFzDFOs~4A0ft93wnAKBVBCtQK~Y9ZbZkwhzOKdOcrtG5BWYlUrn1ELLuWr7VG4lvxxsQRtNKueCB4F2faLAIBEXlpwKOxL5pTuS8QjCN8ijq0Dx1PEfn1OiXre766TYUvalWeiiFnaoAwkqywaWSTQfoAsdhcwIZeO-HQ~FQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Minnesota Legislature","date","2025-05-20T02:33:02.853Z","article","ST. PAUL — The conference committee on May 19 adopted several election and campaign finance provisions while rejecting an amendment that would have expanded the state’s anti‑bribery language to cover inducements for voting and petition signature drives.

Nonpartisan staff walked members through the election and campaign finance spreadsheet and proposed sections. The committee adopted several amendments by voice vote, including A101 (provision addressing polling places located at establishments that sell or serve cannabis), A113 (special‑election filing period), and A8 (technical fixes and date changes for the Campaign Finance Board). The committee removed two lines from the spreadsheet (line 6 and line 12) that related to absentee ballot application data; staff and the chair confirmed those items were stricken from the chart.

The committee conducted a roll‑call vote on amendment A9, the ballot drop‑off provision. The clerk recorded the roll call: for the House the ayes were 3 and the nays were 1; for the Senate the ayes were 4 and the nays were 1. The committee recorded that with majorities in both bodies the A9 amendment was adopted.

Committee members debated article 8 sections 44 and 45, an anti‑bribery expansion that would have made it unlawful to induce or promise payments to persuade persons to register, vote or sign petitions (with limited exceptions for small, de minimis activities such as providing water at a registration drive). Senator Westland, who introduced and described the provision, said the measure responded to payments and inducements used in other states and urged members to support it. Senator Maquade and other members spoke in favor of enacting a prohibition. The clerk recorded a roll call on the anti‑bribery motion: for the House the ayes were 2 and the nays were 2; for the Senate the ayes were 4 and the nays were 1. The chair announced that the motion did not prevail and the anti‑bribery expansion was not adopted.

The committee also approved the election spreadsheet adoption. Staff noted funding details included a $200,000 first‑year transfer into the HAVA account and a $760,000 one‑time appropriation to the Campaign Finance Board for litigation expenses. Staff also described a repeal of the voting equipment grant account and a transfer of its balance into the voting operations, technology and election resources account.

After completing the elections article, the committee directed nonpartisan staff to prepare the conference committee report and empowered staff to make technical and conforming changes to the approved language.

All votes and roll‑call tallies reported here are taken from the committee transcript and clerk’s counts recorded during the meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Conference Committee on SF3045 5/19/25","oneSentenceSummary","The committee adopted multiple election and campaign finance provisions on May 19, including ballot drop-off (A9) by roll call, a cannabis‑polling‑place amendment (A101), a special‑elections timing amendment (A113), and campaign finance technical fixes; an expanded anti‑bribery provision (article 8, sections 44–45) failed to pass.","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},6535461,"Conference committee adopts local government policy changes including water/sewer and audit thresholds",411,974750,1385875,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3396556-aaa705d1b0b48d7e378d67b86012a670&start=974&end=1385","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3396556-aaa705d1b0b48d7e378d67b86012a670/thumbnail_974750.jpg","/articles/6535461/Minnesota/Conference-committee-adopts-local-government-policy-changes-including-watersewer-and-audit-thresholds","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6535461-7d96de68dcd98c94a62e10ad05235ce1/orig.mp4?Expires=1776151941&Signature=ab~xI0qtyuMY0rQnzs8fn2uandAUB0Yx7B9JeVU~riNLr1g8TprjUak4hb4xqqkqwscy4E1OtioAjLKD5xmFR7-F8d25HIyv8QTmgWD9HJAuASN54HzRLom4Zm3iQidQwojYQhUCtoAqiXGtKsZI-p1kCZUrkRk1ROXIULhvvLTTtvos040yaWx3hdKQDWkTdbZ6f7HXZ25KpeP7Sw5xgpkpoJGzi-HJb0ydDScioXzTMPynE~EqUAlIU-ep71oXYktzm48Z9WewJeB86NhFvJSQ7vcwJWp3SCfXlRUR-O78SQowEggqYpDXaAKEaVayohyVZySavlzx3bAj3~bdMg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","ST. PAUL — The conference committee approved a package of local government policy provisions on May 19 that includes rules for installing public water and sewer lines in road rights-of-way, increased audit thresholds for some towns and cities, and a provision creating a Ramsey County Economic Development Authority.

Chelsea Griffin, a legislative analyst with House Research, briefed the committee on the local government document. She said the A29 amendment requires districts installing trunk water and sewer lines to comply with the requirements cited in the document (the transcript references compliance with Minnesota rules and rule citations). The A41 amendment inserts the word “public” before “right of way” in the statute.

The committee also adopted amendments that raise the auditing threshold for annual audits to $1,000,000 for towns and cities that combine the offices of clerk and treasurer and for towns that use the standard plan and combine those offices. The committee accepted Senate language creating a Ramsey County Economic Development Authority and granting parallel powers to the Ramsey County Housing and Redevelopment Authority.

The A36 amendment — describing changes tied to Saint Louis County deputy administrator numbers and an effective date that depends on local approval — was also adopted. Committee members adopted A29, A41 and A36 by voice votes without roll calls.

The local government package was moved before the committee and adopted as part of the state and local government provisions. Committee members recorded no roll-call opposition to these specific amendments in the transcript; each was adopted by voice vote.

The committee then advanced the state and local government package, as amended, to the broader set of articles considered later in the meeting.","The conference committee on May 19 adopted local government policy provisions, including authority for water and sewer installation in public rights-of-way with rule compliance, a $1,000,000 audit threshold for combined clerk/treasurer offices, and the creation of a Ramsey County Economic Development Authority provision.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6535466,"Conference committee adopts state government finance spreadsheet and related policy changes",962,2560,965145,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3396556-aaa705d1b0b48d7e378d67b86012a670&start=2&end=965","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3396556-aaa705d1b0b48d7e378d67b86012a670/thumbnail_2560.jpg","/articles/6535466/Minnesota/Conference-committee-adopts-state-government-finance-spreadsheet-and-related-policy-changes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6535466-38123d295b9d72724cb948de74ce4884/orig.mp4?Expires=1776151941&Signature=WfKjFMKeg9Rayz~YvdTCLkDgONCTLvSUDeZJvmok-hfWUEAyKm9n0YD0xPka-UbOxTBNaVQ0ZoDTq0cJn7QQw3nzLM80yS72s~ajusx7k3x2iPRvMPbBXYcswBzicHl2WzPuX-iTtIpGUJ~ViBeFF4kTQqPStGECNac44GdGeyItR~jV0yjFPbR0xZsNmZG-TnxTTjGBs9UZbWKZdVny8Hf6NcJCln8rAsdc~TMRM30ND~qN9X5Z61y0-xnOM~uh2NCgi70QONkbN8UcLvDH9d-pIlF~SOLiAm9cY0uo7h2sPQhlUXLo9Ifvkv2MB1H6buYn~08ZES03jLqfNLEKKw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","ST. PAUL — The conference committee meeting on May 19 adopted the state government finance spreadsheet and a related set of policy provisions, approving operating increases for several small agencies and cabinet-level departments and adopting a set of amendments to the policy document.

The spreadsheet funds the Legislature at $23,200,000 for the biennium and includes operating increases for the State Auditor ($3,300,000), the Attorney General (about $4,000,000 plus a separate $1,000,000 above base), and a $1,000,000 increase for the Secretary of State plus an estimated $4,200,000 in late-penalty revenue, according to nonpartisan staff summaries presented to the committee.

Committee staff emphasized that these are changes above base funding. Nonpartisan staff also identified a $3,000,000 direct appropriation from a special revenue fund to Ramsey County for capital-area livability improvements and a $12,700,000 operating adjustment for the Department of Revenue.

The committee adopted a related policy document (motion 4) that incorporates a series of amendments described by staff, including changes to fraud data-sharing language, a provision removing an advisory council on infrastructure, and administrative authorities that allow agencies to suspend contract performance when funding has been terminated, delayed or suspended. Nonpartisan staff summarized those authorities as intended to apply in multiple places in the bill.

Ms. James, a nonpartisan staff member, described a motion to reconsider and a substantive change to the advertising guidance that the committee ultimately approved: “The A117 removes the encouragement for agencies to spend a portion of their budgets their advertising budgets on local news media and leaves in place a reporting requirement to report about their advertising activities.” The committee voted to reconsider the prior language and then adopted A117.

Committee leaders moved a rapid succession of amendments to the state government policy document and the spreadsheet; amendments A43, A126, A115, A116, A118, A45 and A48 were each offered and adopted by the committee in voice votes. Chair Zhang moved adoption of the overall recommendations; the motion prevailed and the spreadsheet and policy document were adopted as amended.

The committee also noted nonbinding commitments recorded in the packet, including a May 16, 2025 commitment letter from Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) tied to the healthy aging plan and a separate, informal promise to hold a task force on legislator training about best practices when legislators name grants in legislation.

The committee concluded by directing nonpartisan staff to prepare a conference committee report incorporating the spreadsheets and documents and empowered staff to make technical and conforming edits to reflect the committee’s intent.

The adopted package is primarily administrative and budgetary; the committee did not adopt any new standalone statutes during this portion of the meeting beyond the policy text and appropriations recorded in the spreadsheet.","A Minnesota conference committee on May 19 adopted a state government funding spreadsheet and a package of policy changes, approving operating increases for multiple agencies and a set of housekeeping policy amendments including a change to agency advertising guidance.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Conference committee approves election changes, adopts ballot drop‑off provision and special‑election timing; anti‑bribery expansion fails

Conference committee adopts local government policy changes including water/sewer and audit thresholds

Conference committee adopts state government finance spreadsheet and related policy changes