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Conference committee adopts state government finance spreadsheet and related policy changes
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Summary
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.
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.
