MN Conference Committee met on Friday (May 9, 2025) to move forward toward reconciliation of the omnibus agriculture and broadband development policy and finance bill. According to the Sessions Daily…

“At this point, it’s as clear as mud,” Sen. Aric Putnam (DFL-St. Cloud) said Friday.

He and Rep. Paul Anderson (R-Starbuck) chair the conference committee on HF2446.

Not that their situation is much different from any other conference committee, it is after all the whole raison d’être of conference committees to come up with compromise legislation.

But this one is lopsided in the policy differences, which was made clear when nonpartisan staff did a walkthrough of House- and Senate-only provisions at their first meeting. There are no overlapping policy provisions between the bodies version of the bill.

Anderson also made note of that unique situation but also commented it’s imperative the committee completes its important work.

“It’s a tough time to show a profit margin in production agriculture,” he said. “We need to do what we can to help agriculture flourish in our great state.”

Both co-chairs said solving the fiscal and policy differences can’t commence until the committee receives its budget target from legislative leaders.

The budget seems simpatico for broadband…

Each version would appropriate $2 million in the biennium to the Office of Broadband Development to increase high-speed internet access across the state.