Purpose of the Bill

The bill aims to adopt temporary joint rules for both the Minnesota State Senate and the House of Representatives to operate under these rules for the 94th legislative session until permanent rules are established.

Main Provisions

• Conference Committees: The joint rules guide the formation and operations of conference committees, which resolve disagreements on amendments between the Senate and the House. Each committee will consist of three to six members from each legislative house.
• Public Meetings: Conference committee meetings must be open to the public and should provide a 24-hour advance notice, aiming for transparency.
• Meeting Times: Conference committees cannot meet between midnight and 7:00 a.m.; however, meetings may be extended by up to one hour past midnight with a two-thirds majority vote.
• Reporting Agreements: Committees must report to their respective legislative houses whether they have reached an agreement or not. Reports are limited to issues germane to the original bill or related legislation.
• Financial Constraints: Any conference committee report must not allocate more funds than those in the original or amended bills without explicit approval from both the Speaker of the House and the Senate Majority Leader.
• Limiting New Bodies and Delegations: The report may not establish new legislative bodies, like commissions or task forces, or delegate rulemaking powers to state departments not present in the original bill or amendments.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Adopts rules from a previous legislative session temporarily, allowing for continued legislative operations while new permanent rules are developed.

Relevant Terms

• Temporary joint rules
• Conference committees
• Public meetings
• Germane provisions
• Legislative appropriations
• Delegation of rulemaking powers
• Transparency