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| SENATE REPUBLICAN MAJORITY CAUCUS ANNOUNCES COMMITTEE DEADLINES NEW PROCESS ENSURES BUDGET BILLS WILL BE MOVED FIRST | ||||||||||||
(St. Paul) - Leaders of the Senate Republican Majority Caucus have announced deadlines for advancing bills through the legislative process. The schedule outlines an aggressive approach to move budget bills through committees first and allows time after to consider policy-based reforms.
“We have established these committee deadlines for a very clear purpose: to attack the budget deficit.” Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch (R-Buffalo). “This schedule enables us to prioritize the state budget deficit and then, gives us a chance to adopt policy reforms that will change the way we do business in St. Paul.”
“We take the legislative calendar very seriously,” said Senate Deputy Majority Leader Geoff Michel (R-Edina). “We are committed to balancing the state budget, without raising taxes and getting done on time, as the people of Minnesota expect us to do.”
The committee deadline schedule lists March 25 as the final date for finance committees and divisions to report appropriations bills. April 29th is set as the final date for committees to act favorable on bills in their house of origin and May 6th is the final date to advance bills or companions of bills that met the first deadline in the other house.
The front-loaded committee deadline focused first on budget deadlines represents a significant departure from recent legislative calendars.
Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch added: “We have a lot to do between now and May 23rd. These new deadlines are here to tell lawmakers that we have to change the way that the legislature does business.”
