Minn. House Ways and Means committee advances judiciary, public safety, housing, commerce, environment, unemployment and cannabis measures to next stages

At a meeting of the Minnesota House Ways and Means Committee, members voted on a series of fiscal and policy bills from several author committees, moving most to the general register or laying them over for further action.

The committee advanced the judiciary finance bill, House File 2,300, and the public safety finance bill, House File 2,432, and then voted to incorporate both bills' language into a combined public safety and judiciary omnibus. The committee also laid over or moved forward housing (House File 2,445), commerce (House File 2,443), environment and natural resources (House File 2,439) and a cannabis policy vehicle (House File 16,115) to the general register, and recommended placement of an unemployment insurance extension (House File 3,023) for mine workers on the general register.

Key outcomes

- House File 2,300 (Judiciary finance): Committee co-chairs moved the bill and an A7 amendment was adopted to remove a uniform law provision; the bill as amended was laid over. Nonpartisan staff confirmed the committee target of an additional $30 million for FY26-27 and $30 million in the tails was met. Committee discussion highlighted efforts to hold employee paychecks harmless for increases in health insurance costs, reinstate a Guardian ad Litem volunteer program (funding for two FTEs and a report back to the Legislature), and one-time infrastructure investments with funds available for four years.

- House File 2,432 (Public safety finance): The committee was told the public safety committee target was $50 million in each biennium; staff said the bill met that target. The bill adds funding for peace officer training and recruitment (including $5.5 million per year for a named training fund), local public safety radio equipment, victim services increases and other operating adjustments. Committee discussion repeatedly returned to operating shortfalls for the Department of Corrections (DOC), the effect on processing evidence, and risks to retaining corrections officers. Members noted portions of costs (for example prisoner phone-call funding) previously added to the base ($3.0 million a year) and that roughly $2.2 million of that goes to the actual cost of calls; cable-TV spending was cited at about $1.0 million a year.

- Merger into omnibus: By voice vote the committee approved motions to incorporate the judiciary (HF2300) and public safety (HF2432) language as separate articles into a combined public safety and judiciary omnibus and directed nonpartisan staff to make technical corrections. Those incorporation motions carried on voice…