GMNP Update - May 2, 2025

GMNP UPDATE - 5/2/2025

Dear GMNP Members,

Happy Friday! The legislature is continuing their march towards the constitutionally-mandated adjournment date of March 19th. Both the House and Senate have been spending most of their time on omnibus bills; the House passed their Housing omnibus bill and the Senate passed their Jobs omnibus bill this week. The Housing conference committee will consist of the following members: Rep. Spencer Igo (R-Wabana Township), Rep. Jim Nash (R-Waconia), Rep. Mike Howard (DFL-Richfield), Sen. Lindsey Port (DFL-Burnsville), Sen. Liz Boldon (DFL-Rochester), and Sen. Eric Lucero (R-St. Michael). I expect the Housing conference committee to begin meeting sometime next week. More details about conference committee members, meeting times, and documents will be available here.

The House Jobs bill was released Thursday afternoon with disappointing cuts to key programs (see table below for more details). GMNP submitted a letter to the House Ways & Means Committee sharing our disappointment, and I intend to testify to further share our concerns if the Committee convenes to take testimony. This would be a great time to reach out to your Representative and let them know you're concerned about these program cuts - find our talking points here.

The following compares key programs across the Housing and Jobs omnibus bills:

The last headline this week was that the Senate State and Local Government Committee met on Thursday evening for a hearing on S.F. 2309, the so-called "Say Yes to Housing" proposal that would preempt local land use and zoning controls around residential housing. The hearing was contentious and the Committee received oral and written testimony on both sides of the issue. The bill ultimately failed to pass Committee on a 6-5 vote, largely due to the practical considerations raised by local governments. There continues to be a lot of support and discussion around these ideas, so while the bill is dead for now, we will continue to stay engaged for the remainder of the legislative session. Thanks to everyone who has provided constructive feedback and insights as well as outreach to your elected officials.

As always, please reach out with any questions at darielle@gmnp.org or (612) 991-5744.

Sincerely, 

Darielle Dannen

Executive Director, Greater Minnesota Partnership

SIGNIFICANT HAPPENINGS THIS WEEK

Monday, April 28

• Senate Finance Committee: Heard S.F. 1832 (Champion), the Senate Jobs omnibus bill. The Committee revised the labor provisions in the bill and sent it back to the Senate floor.

Tuesday, April 29

• House Floor: Heard the following bills:
  • S.F. 2298 (Igo) (2nd unofficial engrossment), the Housing finance bill. This bill includes historic levels of funding for key Greater Minnesota programs - $20 million for the Greater Minnesota Housing Infrastructure program, an additional $10 million for the Workforce Housing Development program, and $10 million in cash and $100 million in additional HIB bonds for the Challenge program. During floor debate, the House adopted an amendment that adjusted the scoring criteria language to fit with the recommendations of city and Greater Minnesota groups, including the GMNP. The bill passed 106-25.
  • H.F. 2309 (Rehrauer), the Housing policy bill. This bill included the changes the GMNP has been advocating for to the State Housing Tax Credit program to allow it to be coupled with the Greater Minnesota Workforce Development program. The bill passed off the floor 109-22.
• Senate Floor: Heard S.F. 1832 (Champion), the Senate Jobs omnibus bill, which ultimately passed off the floor as amended on a 35-30 vote. There were some notable amendments offered during floor discussions, including:
  • Sen. Drazkowski (R-Mazeppa) offered an amendment that would have eliminated direct appropriations to named organizations in the bill, but ultimately withdrew the amendment after raising his concerns.
  • Sen. Farnsworth (R-Hibbing) offered the A64 amendment that would extend unemployment benefits to those impacted by mine closures, which was adopted.
  • Sen. Housley (R-Stillwater) offered the A86 amendment which would require the Paid Leve call center to be available on January 1, 2026. The amendment failed.
  • Sen. Jasinski (R-Faribault) offered the A83 amendment, which would modify the language about the small business assistance partnerships grants to include the revitalizing and strengthening of downtown and neighborhood commercial districts. The amendment failed 33-33, but Sen. Champion said he would take the ideas to the conference committee.
  • Sen. Draheim (R-Madison Lake) offered an amendment limiting executive compensation for nonprofits receiving state funds, which prompted discussion but ultimately failed.

Thursday, April 24

• Senate State & Local Government Committee: Heard H.F. 2309 and passed the A1 amendment which attempts to revise the bill into a "skinny" proposal. Senators Lindsey Port (DFL-Burnsville) and Jordan Rasmusson (R-Fergus Falls) presented the bill together. Sen. Rasmusson discussed the goal of the bill and called the proposals common-sense reforms that would lead to more affordable homes. Sen. Port cited bipartisan support for the bill inside the chambers and shared her belief that a statewide solution is needed to address housing availability and affordability. Multiple committee members shared their support or opposition to the bill, which ultimately failed on a 6-5 vote.

HEARINGS & FLOOR SESSIONS

KEY DATES/COMMITTEE DEADLINES

ADDITIONAL ITEMS

2025 Single Family RFP now open

The 2025 Single Family RFP is open and the deadline to apply is July 10, 2025 at noon Central Time.

QUESTIONS?

If you have questions or want to discuss anything further, please feel free to reach out at darielle@gmnp.org or (651) 295-1908.

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