[ST. PAUL, MN] – Today, Governor Walz signed thirteen budget bills into law as passed by the Minnesota State Legislature in a special session last week.

 “At a time when politics is filled with chaos and division, Minnesota is showing the rest of the nation there’s another way to govern,” Governor Walz said. “We can work together. We can find compromise. And in one of the only divided legislatures in the country, we can overcome differences and put together a budget that improves lives. We set out to make meaningful investments in health care, education, and community prosperity, and that’s exactly what this budget does.”

 The Governor signed the following bills:

·         Chapter 1, S.F. 1: This bill provides a budget and policy changes for the Department of Agriculture, the Board of Animal Health, the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, the Housing Finance Agency, and broadband development.

·         Chapter 2, S.F. 3: This bill provides a budget and policy changes for programs related to outdoor heritage, clean water, parks and trails, and arts and cultural heritage.

·         Chapter 3, H.F. 6: This bill provides a budget and policy changes for transportation, affecting the Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Council, and Department of Public Safety activities, providing grants to deputy registrars, and the purchase and implementation of a vehicle title and registration system to replace the Minnesota Licensing and Registration System (MNLARS).

·         Chapter 4, S.F. 7: This bill provides a budget and policy changes for programs related to the environment and natural resources and tourism.

·         Chapter 5, S.F. 8: This bill provides a budget and policy changes for programs and departments related to public safety, courts, corrections, sexual offenders, predatory offenders, vehicle operations, and firefighters for a task force and working group on missing and murdered indigenous women.

·         Chapter 6, H.F. 5: This bill modifies the Minnesota tax code, providing conformity and nonconformity to certain federal tax law changes and modifying individual income and corporate franchise taxes, estate taxes, sales and use taxes, special and excise taxes, property taxes, local government aids, and other miscellaneous taxes and tax provisions. It also includes a permanent extension of the provider tax.

·         Chapter 7, H.F. 2: This bill provides a budget and policy changes for jobs, economic development, energy, and commerce, and economic development programs, and establishes wage theft prevention measures.

·         Chapter 8, H.F. 10: This bill makes administrative changes to Minnesota’s various public pension systems.

·         Chapter 9, S.F. 12: This bill provides a budget and policy changes for the Department of Health and Human Services, including programs related to children and families, operations, direct care and treatment, continuing care for older adults, disability services, chemical and mental health, health care, health coverage, prescription drugs, health-related licensing boards, and the Health Department.

·         Chapter 10, S.F. 10: This bill provides a budget and policy changes for the Legislature, State Auditor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and certain agencies, boards, councils, and retirement funds.

·         Chapter 11, H.F. 1: This bill provides a budget and policy changes for the Department of Education and programs relating to E-12 education.

·         Chapter 12, H.F. 13: This bill provides corrections for miscellaneous oversights, inconsistencies, ambiguities, unintended results, and technical errors in existing Minnesota statutes.

·         Chapter 13, H.F. 12: This bill authorizes the sale and issuance of state bonds for housing infrastructure purposes.