The session started with a power struggle dragging on between Republicans and Democrats. After the November election, the House was deadlocked 67-67, forcing the two parties into power-sharing negotiations to break the tie. But then a representative-elect DFLer resigned after a court found he didn’t live in his district, Republicans tried to move ahead with their temporary one-seat advantage and have threatened not to seat a DFL member who narrowly won re-election by 14 votes, and DFL members responded by boycotting session. Multiple lawsuits followed, a special election was delayed until March, as of the third week of session no bipartisan agreement is in sight.
The Senate got off to a smoother, though still unusual, beginning. A special election in late January filled the seat of the late Sen. Kari Dziedzic, restoring the DFL’s one-vote margin. Yet there’s still some uncertainty about how the chamber will handle a DFL member who faces burglary charges. A judge delayed her trial until after this legislative session.
How the balance of power is ultimately split will shape how the legislature approaches its primary job this session: passing a new two-year state budget. Passing a state budget is always a grueling process and will likely be more complicated than usual this year, given the political climate and an uncertain budget future. Gov. Walz has recommended keeping spending on most environmental programs at current base levels. However, negotiations won’t begin in earnest until later in the session and after a new budget forecast is released in February.
The state budget determines how much money will be spent on each state program and where the money comes from to pay for them. For parks and trails, this means determining how much funding will be available for park staffing, maintaining trails and park buildings, restoring prairies, cleaning campgrounds, and other key services.
What this means for Minnesota’s parks and trails is… uncertain. But no matter what happens, P&TC’s government relations team will be at the state capitol, being a strong voice for Minnesota’s special places. Every year, leading into the session, we research key issues, hear from community groups, and meet with park and trail managers to identify and understand the top issues affecting Minnesota’s parks and trails.
This year, our legislative priorities focus on three main areas: a strong budget for parks and trails, keeping state parks quiet and natural, and increasing access to parks and trails. We’ve been busy meeting with legislators from both sides of the aisle, helping legislators craft bills, and monitoring committee hearings to ensure parks and trails are well represented at the capitol.