[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6332315,"mediaKeyId","2307895-ab00acf1dbb147fcc8fd07d6b8a8d7a2","parentId",2307895,"title","Committee advances competing 'emergency powers' proposals after hours of testimony; one bill sent to General Register","audioSeconds",4226,"startMs",1848000,"endMs",6074000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2307895-ab00acf1dbb147fcc8fd07d6b8a8d7a2&start=1848&end=6074","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2307895-ab00acf1dbb147fcc8fd07d6b8a8d7a2/thumbnail_1848000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6332315/Minnesota/Committee-advances-competing-emergency-powers-proposals-after-hours-of-testimony-one-bill-sent-to-General-Register","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6332315-8120b3acc226668b63aec39a38cbfe6f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771147676&Signature=FYKoIqxTEV4tbfaop1ost3X0R1Ckv17sPBxNP~Utz4HwPNTS-JYyx5k-Ob2jJO9VI9kbvVamFqeCdVMwXXfaaKgvyCKbuqvOyUC-~0uGMpT18icoMqTuJ5WuxUyunwKKCSOIcbVBtx7ba1ZiDQ7cJqoncFJqQBwH0tvidLvtL1AN0uf~axuOLU8GIDGZ1aYSYPRdpR5SBeZvPOaJrtdTiZ-hfwFNTrwwjrxTsOEHHOZPIWxrdDWY0Hd8t~9zU~JKR0tEGNDdaeTiuhfQzhQ8FGj5v-Xcdsnwluh1CHoBV8im4KQ9uTTDRx5BZr-ca6o5d9ExtaGL7Cu6ebVrHkaVqA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","MNHouseInfo","date","2025-02-13T00:00:00Z","article","Two competing measures to change Minnesota's peacetime emergency law dominated testimony and debate at the State Government Finance and Policy Committee on Feb. 13.

House File 21, authored by Chair Robbins, would shorten the governor's unilateral emergency authority to 14 days and require a three-fifths legislative vote in both chambers to extend an emergency beyond that period. Robbins said the change would return balance to the separation of powers after the pandemic-era reliance on long emergency declarations. After more than two hours of testimony from business owners, industry representatives and private citizens, the committee voted by roll call to refer HF21 to the General Register (roll-call result recorded as 7 ayes, 6 nays in committee).

Supporters of HF21 included hospitality and restaurant industry leaders who described prolonged closures and shifting mandates during COVID-19 that they said inflicted lasting economic harm. Angie Whitcomb, president and CEO of Hospitality Minnesota, and restaurant owners Ray Harrington and Troy Redding told the committee that statewide mandates lacked local nuance, costing jobs and businesses. Salon renter Rachel Gowdy and others described personal and financial harms during pandemic restrictions.

Opponents and questioners, including some committee members, cautioned that an overly rigid limit on executive power could hinder rapid response to fast-moving crises. Lawmakers queried whether a 14-day automatic expiration — with the governor forced to seek a legislative supermajority to extend — could produce disruptive reopen/close cycles that would be difficult for businesses and emergency responders to manage. Rep. Bonner, Rep. Cleburne and others expressed concern that the legislature’s deliberative pace could hamper timely responses to public-safety incidents.

House File 26, introduced by Rep. Roach and described by its author as a “Never Again Act,” would make broader changes, including criminal penalties for governors who exceed their authority, and language clarifying that executive orders are not law. The committee considered and acted on a series of amendments to HF26: Representative Bonner’s A1 (adding back additional civil liberties language) was adopted; Representative Freiburg’s A2 (adding CDC and HHS to a list of agencies whose data could trigger legislative emergency declarations) failed on a committee roll call; Representative Howard’s A3 (narrowing removal of executive-order effective-date language) was also rejected on a roll call. Testimony on HF26 included multiple speakers who said executive emergency orders during the pandemic had caused personal hardship; one witness, Nicole Riggs of COVID Justice Minnesota, recounted a family member’s hospitalization and said family members were blocked from bedside access during treatment.

Committee leadership recessed the hearing until 8 p.m. with HF26 still in committee; amendments had been disposed of and the bill’s referral was to the Committee on Health. Several members said they plan to continue negotiating statutory language as the proposals move through additional committee stops.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House State Government Finance and Policy Committee 2/13/25 - Part 1","oneSentenceSummary","Lawmakers and public witnesses debated two competing measures to restrict the governor's peacetime emergency powers. Chair Robbins' bill (HF21) passed out of committee by roll call to the General Register; a more expansive 'Never Again' bill (HF26) and several amendments drew heated testimony and were set for further consideration after recess.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature MN, Minnesota","taxId",77817,"location","Minnesota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6332320,"Minnesota committee advances bill to restore workplace savings program for state employees",1684,117000,1801000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2307895-ab00acf1dbb147fcc8fd07d6b8a8d7a2&start=117&end=1801","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2307895-ab00acf1dbb147fcc8fd07d6b8a8d7a2/thumbnail_117000.jpg","/articles/6332320/Minnesota/Minnesota-committee-advances-bill-to-restore-workplace-savings-program-for-state-employees","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6332320-d08097320f775d46a0a250c9e2047267/orig.mp4?Expires=1771147676&Signature=AFn3RyRw5y9lG32djUJyiAr5QX2bX0ybT7DQS1R9TO93rXIStnI8lnF2r-4Liv1UsMJzukznz7NT0HLXULVyCDg72ku3wgiTqRYYt4wimxMyQAaE~o34UL-nDQSiHZp8VHZ0JwOctnD9rlMVG2vT-G71M~inoXm~KO3qdEs08P9vim5n5pXCsfL4vijclHDH1rKNg-qId1zw-eihmfsUYUqQemalRfl87KpiGlXDOBiGniRC-NJ0BTMXii9-313RqPjgrxcZOxVkIV6ZOb5TxB444R9f8wmPxIpMiqx8z5g-D3Mb3H7VfNXV14THjbg8tES2LhahEYe7JW0h92DUNw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Chair Rep. Quam moved House File 289 to the General Register on Feb. 13 after the committee adopted a technical amendment. The bill would revive a previous program that directs a share of unspent agency dollars back to the state general fund while reserving the other share for a locally governed account used to meet agency mission needs.

The measure was described by author Rep. Quam as intended to “empower the actual people doing the job,” giving frontline staff and management a joint committee to identify waste, inefficiency or mission-critical purchases. Quam said half of identified savings would return to the state budget and the other half would go to a fund governed by faculty and administration on college campuses or management and workers in other agencies.

Committee members asked how the program would produce greater uptake than prior iterations of the law. Rep. Quam and several members said the current fiscal environment — with larger budgets than when the program first existed — plus renewed engagement by rank-and-file staff could increase use. The committee adopted an A1 amendment described as technical and intended to allow faster implementation.

Supporters at the hearing said the policy could surface practical needs — hardware replacement, software needs or other operational fixes — and that having both management and workers involved could strengthen legislative requests for supplemental funding. Skeptical lawmakers raised concerns that employees who are not budget managers may not fully understand why some spending decisions are made, and that the program could inadvertently create perverse incentives to under-spend to capture rewards.

Rep. Quam said the special account would be limited to mission-related spending and that management and rank-and-file participation would lend credibility to requests for additional legislative funding. Multiple members expressed willingness to work on tightening language and closing potential loopholes before later stages of the bill’s process.

The committee approved the A1 amendment by voice vote and, following discussion, approved sending HF289, as amended, to the General Register. No roll-call vote was recorded in the transcript.","The State Government Finance and Policy Committee approved an amended bill to revive a program that returns a portion of agency unspent funds to employees and a mission fund, saying it would empower frontline workers to flag inefficiency and recommend purchases.","actionData","errors"]

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Committee advances competing 'emergency powers' proposals after hours of testimony; one bill sent to General Register

Minnesota committee advances bill to restore workplace savings program for state employees