By: MMBA Lobbyist Sarah J. Psick
Omnibus Liquor Bill: The House and Senate Commerce Committees are beginning to work on putting together the Omnibus Liquor bill for the 2012 legislative session.
On Wednesday, the House Commerce Committee considered the bill, HF 2432, to allow liquor stores to sell growlers of beer which is not otherwise available in Minnesota in cans or bottles. MMBA President, Tom Agnes, and MLBA Vice President of Off-Sale, Jennifer Schoenzeit, both testified at the committee hearing to provide background and support of the bill. Several concerns have been raised relating to branding, health issues, and other concerns.
The House Commerce Committee will continue to hear liquor related bills next week, and on Tuesday, March 13, the Senate Commerce Committee will hold a hearing on all liquor bills in the committee's jurisdiction. The bills will not be voted on, but laid over for possible inclusion in an omnibus liquor bill.
Keep Government Open: A series of bills are working their way through the legislature to allow certain government services to remain open in the event of future state government shutdowns.
Among the services that are being addressed are the Minnesota lottery and racing commission, state parks and recreation areas, the Minnesota Zoo, and the issuing of a few types of licenses including electrical engineers and the "buyers card" for retail bars and liquor stores to buy alcohol from distributors.
Most of these bills provide that the funding needed to keep these services open does not come from the state's general fund, but from revenues that are generated by user fees. Democrats in the House and Senate oppose the piece-meal approach to picking which services would continue during a government shutdown and not providing for the continuation of others. They also argue that passing these bills will take the pressure off the legislature to "get their work done on time" in future budget years.
Vikings Stadium Update: After announcing an agreement between Governor Dayton, Mayor Rybak, the Minnesota Vikings, Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission and Legislative supporters, all eyes have been on watching the House and Senate bill introductions for the Vikings stadium proposal.
The bill is expected to be introduced in the legislature on Monday with chief authors Senator Julie Rosen (R-Fairmont) and Representative Morrie Lanning (R-Moorhead) taking the lead. It is expected that the bill will first be heard in the House Commerce Committee.
Senator Gary Kulby (Senate District 20): State Senator Gary Kulby (DFL - Granite Falls) passed away on March 2, 2012 at the age of 68 from ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.
Gary Kubly was a Lutheran pastor who served as a Minnesota State Representative from 1997 to 2003, and as a Minnesota State Senator from 2003 to 2012. As a legislator, Senator Kubly was a strong voice for rural Minnesota and agriculture.
At the beginning of the 2012 legislative session, Senator Kubly had programmed his iPad to speak a message of thanks on the Senate Floor.
In addition to serving his state, Senator Kubly also served his country as a member of the United States Air Force.
Special Election: Governor Dayton issued a writ of special election to fill the vacancy in Senate District 20 caused by the death of Senator Gary Kubly. The special election will be held on Tuesday, April 10, 2012. If a special primary is necessary, it will be held on Tuesday, March 27, 2012.
Next Week: The first policy committee deadline is next week on Friday, March 16. This means that committees must "act favorable on bills in the house of origin" in order for a bill to move forward this session. What this also means is that we can expect the committee agenda's to be lengthy and committee hearings to overflow into the evening hours.
|