During the odd numbered year after an election, the Legislature comes back into session in January with the responsibility of passing a two-year state budget for the next biennium.

The state budget determines how much state agencies and departments can spend each year and it gives the opportunity for the Legislature to create and adjust policies to direct state agencies how to act. Due to the number of areas that need attention, the workload is divided into many different committees, each with a narrow focus.

Thousands of bills are introduced each year, so to make sure that budgets and policies – some of the most important work the Legislature does — get passed, there are three deadlines defining when legislation must obtain approval.

Our first deadline is March 10 at midnight; any policy bills under consideration must have made it through the Senate or House by that date. If the bill has been heard and passed through by the first deadline in either the House or Senate, it then goes through the policy committees of the other legislative body by the second deadline of March 17.

By March 31, committees must have approved or not approved action on major budget and finance bills. After going through all relevant committees, the bill arrives at the House floor.

Once bills have passed out of the House or Senate, it will be matched up with its companion from the other legislative body. If the bills are not identical, then a conference committee is named to consider the differences and come up with a bill that can be agreed to in conference and likely approved by each body.

During the beginning weeks of session, there are other bills that can move through that are usually not controversial but do make policy changes. Sometimes work left undone during a previous year or session needs to be addressed.

One such urgent issue is a bill appropriating funds for the Rural Finance Authority agricultural loan program. These loans fall into numerous categories, ranging from providing for beginning farmers to livestock expansion; even restructuring previous loans. This bill was included in last year’s failed bonding bill and because its funding halted at the end of December, it is important to move it forward as quickly as possible.

This bill (HF 14) had my support in committee and I expect it to pass in a bipartisan manner off the House floor. There are many other bonding proposals from last year that are critical throughout our region and state. Acting quickly on these additional initiatives should also be a high priority.

You can reach me by phone at 651-296-4193, by mail at 291 State Office Building, 100 Martin Luther King Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155, or via emailrep.jeanne.poppe@house.mn.