Minn. House receives Senate messages, names conference committees, holds first readings and adjourns to May 7, 2025

The Minnesota House of Representatives on an otherwise routine day received a series of messages from the Minnesota Senate asking that conference committees be appointed on a number of House and Senate files, approved motions to form two House conference committees to meet the Senate, took first readings of two Senate files and adjourned until 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.

The messages from the Senate announced that it had acceded to requests for conference committees on several House files and provided the names of the Senate members appointed to those committees. The Senate also transmitted that it refused to concur in House amendments to Senate File No. 2077 (an environment and natural resources appropriation bill) and to Senate File No. 2370 (an act relating to cannabis), and requested conference committees on those files. In response, Representative Nash moved that the House accede to the Senate's requests and that the speaker appoint House conference committees to meet with the Senate committees.

Why this matters: conference committees are the formal process the two chambers use to reconcile differences between House and Senate versions of legislation. The appointments and first readings recorded on the floor set the next procedural steps for bills involving higher education, state government, transportation, agriculture budgeting and other matters noted in the Senate messages.

Details of the Senate messages and committee appointments were read into the record. The Senate announced it had appointed Senators Fati, Putnam and Duckworth as its three-member committee for the House file concerning higher education (House File 2431); Senators Lats, Umuverbaton, Seaburger, Wesselin and Clark for House File 2432 concerning state government; Senators Dibble, Johnson Stewart, Jasinski, Carlson and Clark for House File 2438 concerning transportation; and Senators Putnam, Kupik and Westrom for House File 2446 concerning the Department of Agriculture budget. The Senate also announced it had appointed Senators Herr, Kunish, Johnson Stewart, Greene and McEwen to a conference committee on Senate File 2077 and Senators Dibble, Port and Rasmussen to a conference committee on Senate File 2370.

Representative Nash moved on the floor that the House accede to the Senate's requests and that the speaker appoint House conference committees to meet with the Senate committees on the disagreeing votes. Those motions were approved by voice vote; the record shows the speaker called for "Aye" and then declared the motions prevailed. The speaker subsequently announced the House appointments to the conference committee for Senate File 2077 as Representatives Heinzmann, Schultz, Nelson, Fisher, Purcell and Finke. The speaker also announced the House appointments to the conference committee for Senate File 2370 as Representatives Stevenson, Hansen J., West and Allen.

The House also received notice of the passage by the Senate of Senate File Nos. 1750 and 2300. The House gave first reading to Senate File No. 1750, an act relating to common interest communities, and referred it to the House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee. The House gave first reading to Senate File No. 2300, an act relating to employment, and referred it to the House Workforce, Labor and Economic Development Committee.

On routine business the House approved noncontroversial motions and accepted the messages as read. Representative Nash moved that when the House adjourns it reconvene at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 7, 2025; that motion passed by voice vote. Nash then moved that the House do now adjourn; that motion also passed by voice vote and the House stood adjourned until the time announced.

No roll-call vote tallies were recorded in the transcript for the motions described above; the record reflects voice votes with the chair declaring the motions prevailed.

The transcript text used for this report is limited to the House floor proceedings as read into the record and recorded motions, appointments and referrals; no substantive floor debate on the merits of the listed bills appears in the provided transcript excerpt.