Friends and neighbors,

This past week the Senate started hearing and passing committee Omnibus appropriation bills. Roughly translated, the Latin word “omnibus” means “for all, for everybody.” An omnibus bill is a large bill that is generally made up of numerous smaller bills on the same broad topic. 

This is a budget setting year and Omnibus appropriation bills are used to combine the numerous spending bills a committee receives and hears into one bill to meet a budget target. Some people will say that every bill should be passed individually to justify its need. Agree, but for the committee to balance its budget with the budget targets, it must lay over the bills it hears so that the financial requests/needs can be adjusted to meet the target. 

LEGISLATIVE RECAP

On Tuesday the Energy Committee passed its omnibus bill. A couple of projects included in the legislation:

I am happy to say that my bill SF 1163 (which establishes a program to provide financial incentives, for the production of wood pellets at two eligible production facilities located in northern Minnesota) was included in the omnibus bill. 

• This incentive program will help offset the cost of transportation. The proposed plants will use sawmill residues and timber harvesting residues to make wood pellets that will be used to generate electricity. This type of operation will hopefully grow to a number of additional locations over future years
• Establishes an ammonia production pilot research and demonstration project.

The Human Services Reform Committee passed its omnibus bill on Thursday. The committee (and the Senate) is looking to capture increases in federal block grants and funding from the latest round of the Federal stimulus package, aka the American Rescue Plan. These monies would be used to invest in Minnesotans with disabilities, support our childcare providers, invest in mental health, invest in our services providers, and more.

A sampling of my bills that are included in the omnibus bill are:

SF-319 Housing Support Absence and Rate Increase 
This bill adjusts an existing provision that permits housing support payments to be paid when an individual is absent. Under current law, payments may be made for up to 18 days per absence, not to exceed 60 days total during a calendar year. 

• The proposed language would expand permit payments for the purposes of residential behavioral health treatment or health care treatment requiring admission to an inpatient hospital, nursing facility, or other health care facility
• It also permits an agency to increase by $100 per month the housing support rates paid on behalf of individuals residing in unlicensed, uncertified, or unregistered supportive housing establishments when the individual has an approved habitability inspection and an individual lease agreement

SF-671 Home Health and Home Care Nursing Rates 
This bill directs the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) to annually adjust payments for home care nursing services to reflect change in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) home health agency market basket. 

• What this means is that the bill proposes an annual adjustment to the Medical Assistance reimbursement rates for home health services and home care nursing services
• This annual adjustment will start to move Minnesota towards more sustainable reimbursement rates so that we as a state can increase access to these services that support older Minnesotans and those with disabilities to remain living independently in their homes and therefore avoid needing to access more intensive and expensive services.

SF-827 Family Child Care Capacity Adjustments 
This bill adjusts the number of children in some age groups to make it easier for the providers to serve their families. Sufficient childcare capacity is critical across our entire state and particularly in our area. SF 827 will help our providers and the result will help our economy grow.

SF-1768 School-linked SUD Grants 
This bill begins to fund school-linked substance use disorder grants patterned after how the school-linked mental health grants work. 

• Since the average age of first substance use is 14, we need to get services and support to students early before substance use leads to addiction. On average women spend 17.5 years in addiction and men spend 22 years
• Falls in the “Substance Abuse Prevention Block Grant” with $20 million coming from the Federal government

State Government Election Integrity
The Senate State Government Finance and Policy and Elections Committee passed their omnibus budget bill on Wednesday, focusing on good governance, eliminating waste, and promoting fair and free elections. 

This bill contains comprehensive funding for the two-year state government budget, which highlights the implementation of government efficiencies to rein in spending while continuing to function at its highest capacity. Improvements to election security will significantly increase integrity and transparency in Minnesota elections. 

• Minnesota is one of only three states in the nation that do not provide provisional ballots on Election Day and this bill changes that. These ballots are for individuals who have not registered and would not otherwise be able to register same-day due to lack of identification, but still want to vote
• Individuals deemed by the courts, Secretary of State, or Department of Public Safety as challenged voters would also be included in the group to use provisional ballots. The voter is allowed to register and cast a ballot but given one week to prove eligibility in order for their vote to be counted
• Provisional ballots are a safe, easy measure, broadly accepted across the nation, to ensure each vote is treated equally and counted in a timely manner. 

Fun Facts: 

• April 6, 1974: ABBA has their international breakthrough. The Swedish Europop group captured the top prize at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Waterloo.”
• April 7, 2001: NASA launches the Mars Odyssey spacecraft
• April 8, 1974: Hammerin’ Hank Aaron hits 715th home run – beats Babe Ruth’s record
• April 10, 1912: RMS Titanic embarks on its maiden voyage. Just four days after setting sail from Southampton, England, the passenger liner would strike an iceberg and sink within three hours
• April 12 – Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day

Friendly Reminder: Tax Day 2021 was PUSHED BACK from April 15 to  Monday May 17 . 

That’s all for this week’s update. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me to share any thoughts, concerns, or questions you may have. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-9651 or by email at sen.paul.utke@senate.mn 



Have a great week!
Paul Utke