LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

2022 Legislative Preview

by Sam Richie, AASP-MN Lobbyist

Minnesota lawmakers are set to return to St. Paul for the second year of the biennium on January 31, 2022. Despite split party control of the state House and Senate, the Legislature was able to pass the state’s two-year budget last session – so the focus this year will be on passing a bonding bill to update and maintain the state’s publicly-owned assets and infrastructure and agreeing to new legislative maps for the 2022 elections.

While the Legislature has not been in session since July, there has been no shortage of news. Minnesota Management and Budget officials recently announced a record $7.7 billion surplus for lawmakers to work with during the 2022 session. There have been leadership changes to both the DFL and Republican caucuses in the state Senate as redistricting and the 2022 elections loom large.

State Record $7.7 Billion Surplus

After a pandemic-induced slow down, the state economy looks to have rebounded nicely. Minnesota Management and Budget officials cited higher than expected tax receipts, as well as an improved outlook for incomes, consumer spending and profits in improving the revenue forecast for both the short and long term. A large dose of federal funding didn’t hurt either.

Lawmakers from each party staked out familiar territory after the record surplus was announced with DFL lawmakers calling for an increase to state services to

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