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Committee advances DCT technical bill with bonding language for Miller Building replacement
Summary
Lawmakers approved and adopted an author's amendment to the DCT technical and capital bill (House File 2,187) that includes an allocation for replacing the Miller Building at Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center and changes to staff‑retention language; the amended bill was laid over for possible inclusion.
The House Human Services Finance and Policy Committee on March 25 approved an author’s amendment to the Direct Care and Treatment (DCT) technical and capital bill that includes funding direction for the Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center (AMRTC) Miller Building replacement and clarifies retention payments for staff.
Representative Zack Frederick moved the A2 amendment to House File 2,187. The amendment adds $15 million for electronic health‑system technology projects and clarifies that a specified retention payment for employees of a former care facility is not new money but drawn from previously appropriated funds. Committee members adopted an oral change to extend a statutory deadline from 2026 to 2027, and the committee approved the amendment by voice vote. The bill as amended was then laid over for possible inclusion in the committee omnibus bill.
Kerri Briones, legislative director for Direct Care and Treatment, described the bill as largely technical statutory cleanups tied to DCT’s planned operational transition and to ensure statutory protections and duties carry forward when DCT becomes a separate agency. The bill also includes modernization of language in community‑based services statutes and several repealers for outdated text, Briones said.
County officials and associations praised inclusion of capital funding for the Miller Building. Angela Jungerberg of Blue Earth County, testifying for county groups, told the committee the $75 million Miller Building replacement included in related documents is an important “down payment” to expand capacity and that any change to the priority admissions sunset must be conditioned on funding to increase capacity in both DCT and the community.
Representative Frederick told colleagues the Miller Building project would help “decompress all of the jails throughout the state” by adding beds and said the bill also contains technical updates in preparation for DCT becoming a separate entity on July 1.
The A2 amendment and the oral change (moving a 2026 deadline to 2027) passed by voice vote. House File 2,187 as amended was laid over for possible inclusion in the committee omnibus package.
