Transcript Current Political Structure

LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE STRUCTURE
AND PROCESS
Presentation for
2006 Airtap Fall Forum
Amy Vennewitz
Metropolitan Council
Legislative
Work
Can be
Exciting!!
Current Political Structure
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Governor
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Senate
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Governor Tim Pawlenty, Republican
67 Total Members, 4-year terms
DFL Majority, 38 members
Republican Minority, 29 members
Majority Leader Senator Dean Johnson
House
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134 Total Members, 2-year terms
Republican Majority, 68 members
DFL Minority, 66 members
Speaker of the House Representative Steve Sviggum
After November 7????
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November 7 – Election day
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Governor and all members of Senate and House
standing for election
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30 of 201 Legislators (15%) Retiring
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Potential incumbent losses
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Landscape could remain same or have large
changes
Activity Starts Immediately
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Governor
makes key agency appointments
 reviews/selects budget initiatives
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House and Senate
elect caucus leadership
 establish new legislative committee structure
 appoint committee chairs & members
 membership proportionally balanced
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Legislative Committees
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Policy Committees
Policy committees for major topic areas, i.e.
education, environment, transportation
 Hear all bills in topic area
 Pass bills to other policy committees, budget
committees (divisions) or to floor
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Budget Committees or Divisions
Also for major topic areas
 Hear only bills with “fiscal impact”
 Pass bills to Finance and Tax committees
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Legislative Committees Cont.
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Finance and Tax Committees
Chaired by senior legislators
 In Senate, Finance hears spending bills, Taxes hears
revenue raising bills
 In House, Ways and Means committee hears both
finance and tax bills
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Rules Committees
Chaired by majority leaders in Senate & House
 Hear bills that have not met “rules”
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2005-06 Senate Commitees
Capital
Investment
Finance
Taxes
Rules &
Administration
Ch: Langseth
VC: Kiscaden
Ch: Cohen
VC: Chaudhary
Ch: Pogemiller
VC: Tomassoni
Ch: Johnson
VC: Rest
Early Childhood
Policy &
Budget Division
K-12 Education
Budget Division
Higher Education
Budget Division
Health,
Human Services
Budget Division
Ch: Hottinger
VC: Kubly
Ch: Stumpf
VC: Marko
Ch: Pappas
VC: Solon, Y.P.
Ch: Berglin
VC: Solon, Y.P.
Education
Ch: Kelley, S.P.
VC: Skoe
Environment,
Agriculture, &
Economic
Development
Budget Division
Ch: Sams
VC: Dibble
Health &
Family
Security
Environment
& Natural
Resources
Agriculture
Veterans &
Gaming
Jobs, Energy
& Community
Development
Commerce
Transportation
Ch: Lourey
Ch: Marty
VC: Saxhaug
Ch: Vickerman
VC: Skoe
Ch: Anderson
VC: Bakk
Ch: Scheid
VC: Sparks
Ch: Murphy
VC: Moua
Transportation
Budget Division
Public Safety
Budget Division
Ch: Murphy
VC: Moua
Ch: Ranum
Crime
Prevention
&
Public Safety
Ch: Foley
VC: Skoglund
State
Government
Budget
Division
Ch: Kiscaden
Judiciary
Ch: Betzold
VC: Skoglund
State & Local
Government
Operations
Ch: Higgins
VC: Wiger
Elections
Ch: Wiger
20005-06 House Committees
Capital
Investment
Ways and
Means
Taxes
Ch: Dorman
Ch: Knoblach
Ch: Krinkie
Rules &
Legislative
Administration
Ch: Paulson
Jobs and
Economic
Opportunity
Policy and
Finance
Education
Finance
Higher Education
Finance
Health Policy and
Finance
Agriculture,
Environment and
Natural
Resources
Finance
Transportation
Finance
Public Safety
Policy and
Finance
State
Government
Finance
Ch: Sykora
Ch: Nornes
Ch:Bradley
Ch: Ozment
Ch: Holberg
Ch: Smith
Ch: Seifert
Ch: Gunther
Education
Policy &
Reform
Ch: Buesgens
Environment
& Natural
Resources
Ch: Hackbarth
Agriculture
& Rural
Development
Ch: Davids:
Local
Government
Ch: Olson
Commerce
& Financial
Institutions
Transportatio
n
Ch: Wilkins
Regulated
Industires
Ch: Westrom
Ch: Erhardt
Ethics
Ch: Erickson
Government
Operations &
Veterans
Affairs
Civil Law &
Elections
Ch:
Tingelstad
Ch: Johnson
Committee Structure
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Chair – Member of majority party, some
seniority, interest/expertise in subject
Committee staff
committee secretary & administrator, work directly
for chair
 non-partisan professional staff, policy analysts,
counsel, fiscal analysts, work for all legislators
 majority & minority partisan staff, hired by caucuses,
work for legislators in their respective caucus
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Typical Committees with Jurisdiction
over Airport Issues
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Transportation Policy
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Subcommittee on aviation in both Senate & House
Airport operations, noise issues
Transportation Finance
MnDOT Office of Aeronautics, State Airport Fund
 State and Local Government Operations (Senate) and
Local Government (House)
 Land use, noise, MAC governance issues
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Legislative Commission on Metropolitan Governance
(joint Senate/House)
 Metropolitan Council governance and budget
Basic Bill Flow
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Idea generation
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Legislator requests a bill draft
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Individuals & constituents, legislators, professional
group/associations, Governor and agencies
Senate & House professional staff or Revisor of Statutes
drafts bill
Finds author in “other” house & co-authors
Companion (identical) bills introduced in both houses
First reading on floor
Bill is referred to Committee
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In Senate President refers, in House Speaker refers
Committee Actions on Bills
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Committee Options
Hear, amend, pass the bill
 Hear the bill, vote it down
 Hear the bill, put in into another bill
 Don’t hear the bill
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Committee reports the bill to the floor or
another committee
Budget or fiscal bills must go to a finance or tax
committee
Floor Actions on Bills
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Bill is reported to floor, second reading
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Individual bill or omnibus bill
Bill is debated, amended on floor
Third reading (no amendments)
Bill passes (fails) and is transmitted to “other”
house
Other house passes identical bill or amends bill
(substitutes language)
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Bill sent to Governor (if identical)
Conference Committee (if amended)
Conference Committee Actions
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Equal # of Senators and Representatives
(typically 3-5)
Staff prepares side-by-side comparisons
Committee recommends final bill content
Majority of members from each house must
agree on final content
Each house must adopt committee report
Pass final bill without amendment
Governor’s Actions
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Bill presented to Governor
3 days to: (if session has ended,10 days)
Sign
 Allow to become law without signature
 Veto
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Veto override requires 2/3 vote
90 votes in House
 45 votes in Senate
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Overview of the Legislative Process
HOUSE OF ORIGIN
SECOND HOUSE
HOUSE OF ORIGIN
GOVERNOR
Enrollment
of Act
1
Bill introduction
First reading
Referral to a committee
Message received from the first house
Bill introduction
First reading
Sign into law
Was
the bill amended by
the second house?
No
OR . . .
Re-passage
Yes
2
Return veto
(during session)
First house's bill replaces second house's companion bill
Committee consideration:
Concur in
amendments?
- either - Committee report
- Adoption of report on floor
- Possible referral to other committees
In committee
On floor
Bill referred to committee
Committee consideration
Committee report(s)
Bill substituted for
companion bill
Yes
Third Reading
- an item of appropriation
or
- an entire act
No
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE
EACH HOUSE
(Beginning with the House of Origin)
Conference committee report
Second reading
Floor consideration
Second reading
of bill from the first house
Floor consideration
EACH HOUSE
(Beginning with the House of Origin)
Veto override
Vote required: at least 2/3
House-90
Senate-45
Conference committee report adopted
(no amendments)
Becomes law despite veto
Third reading
(no amendments)
Third reading
(no amendments)
Third Reading
OR . . .
3
Passage
Vote required: at least a majority
House-68
Senate-34
Passage
Vote required: at least a majority
House-68
Senate-34
Neither sign nor veto
Re-passage
- During session: law without signature
- End of session: pocket veto
Minnesota House of Representatives - Research Department - November 2002
Biennial Legislative Timeline
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Odd-year session
Pass 2-year biennial budget
 Starts very early January
 Required to end first Mon. after 3rd Sat. in May
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Even-year session
Pass bonding bill authorizing capital projects
 Starts late February – March
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Total biennial legislative days limited to 120
State revenue forecasts
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February and November
Advocacy – Where to have Impact
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Direct contact with Legislators
Get sponsorship of requested legislation
 Explain issues one-on-one
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Contact staff
Input on bill drafting, other issues
 Assistance on process
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Testify at Committee Hearings
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Provide expertise, information
Get membership, others to contact