Local lawmakers react to end of the legislative session
(ABC 6 News) – For months, Minnesota lawmakers have been working on a number of bills. Some could say the session ended in chaos as House and Senate democrats decided last minute to combine a number of bills on different subjects into one massive tax bill.
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The bill includes provisions on transportation including that bill impacting the future of Uber and Lyft in the Twin Cities. There’s also higher education, paid family leave, and gun safety.
“Basically, we had no time, in fact, we did not have a copy, of the 1,400, well 1430-page bill. We didn’t have a copy,” said Rep. Duane Quam (R-Byron.)
“There was just, talking for the sake of talking in order to block the progress, to block the work we were doing, which is problematic. I hope we can move past that and really get back to, ya know, focusing on the work for Minnesotans,” Sen. Liz Boldon (DFL – Rochester) added.
One bill missed passing by about 30 seconds after the clock struck midnight. It would’ve given tens of millions in cash for building projects. That, after a $900 million borrowing bill failed to last.
While many things became law, lawmakers could never come to an agreement on legalizing sports betting. Something many Republicans and Democrats have both wanted.