Taxes committee report recommends amendment, re-referral of emergency rental-assistance bill
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Summary
The Senate secretary read a Taxes Committee report recommending amendment and re-referral of Senate File 3596, a proposal to create a one-time emergency rental-assistance aid for counties and tribal governments; the Senate adopted committee reports and approved several motions to withdraw and re-refer other bills before recessing to the call of the president.
The Minnesota Senate on March 4, 2026, received a Taxes Committee report recommending amendment and re-referral of Senate File 3596, a bill described in the report as "relating to taxation, establishing a one-time emergency rental assistance aid for counties and tribal governments." The secretary read the committee's recommendation that, if amended as specified, the bill should pass and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety.
Committee action matters because the bill would allocate emergency rental-assistance aid to counties and tribal governments, shifting decisions about administration and distribution to local and tribal entities. The committee report as read did not include dollar amounts or eligibility details; those specifics were not specified in the floor reading and would be determined in committee markup or later floor action.
On the floor, senators handled a series of routine but consequential procedural motions. Senator Murphy moved to adopt the committee reports printed in the agenda (except the appointments report); the motion prevailed by voice vote. Murphy subsequently moved that the report concerning appointments be laid on the table; that motion also prevailed. Other senators moved to withdraw and re-refer individual bills: Senator Cooney asked that Senate File 3625 be withdrawn from the Committee on State and Local Government and re-referred to Judiciary and Public Safety; Senator Westlund moved to withdraw Senate File 3894 from the Committee on Elections and re-refer it to State and Local Government; Senator Rest moved to withdraw Senate File 3903 from Judiciary and Public Safety and return it to the author; Senator Kunis moved to withdraw Senate File 4056 from Judiciary and Public Safety and re-refer it to the Committee on Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development. Each of those motions was stated on the floor and prevailed by voice vote.
Senator Murphy moved that the Senate recess to the call of the president, noting a "skeletal crew" would return later to finish paperwork and handle committee reports, specifically mentioning Senate File 3596 (offered by Senator Port). Senator Rasmussen asked Murphy which bills and business the body should expect to return to the floor; Murphy identified committee reports and Senate File 3596. The presiding officer put Murphy's recess motion and it prevailed; the Senate recessed to the call of the president.
What the floor reading did not provide: an amended text of SF 3596, funding totals, eligibility criteria, or timetables for when the amended bill would return to the floor. Those substantive details were not specified during the secretary's reading or the floor motion and will depend on committee amendments and subsequent scheduling.
The Senate scheduled no final passage votes on SF 3596 during the March 4 session; the committee report directs further committee action and reassignment to Judiciary and Public Safety as a next step.