Legislative Session Week Five: What You Need to Know

Week Five at the Capitol is in the books – Here’s what you need to know:

1. Met Council Oversight Sub-Committee Holds First Meeting – The Subcommittee on Metropolitan Council Accountability and Transparency held its first meeting last week. The Subcommittee heard from House Research staff who gave an overview of the Council’s operations and statutory charge. The Sub-Committee work continues this week with an overview of the Met Council’sThrive 2040. Thrive 2040 has grabbed attention and controversy over the past two years as it is projecting substantial changes in the growth pattern for our region. Look for an update on the Committee deliberations next week.
2. Sprinkler Mandate Discussions Continue – Legislators continue to seek ways to help us with the sprinkler mandate. We expect these discussions to continue throughout the session as more legislators are responding to BATC’s message on the importance of housing affordability in these regulatory code changes.
3. Proposed Attorneys Fee Bill Remains Tabled – Since its hearing over two weeks ago at the Senate Judiciary Committee, SF104 remains tabled in the Committee. The bill proposes to place attorney fees language ONLY to homeowners and not contractors, even if they are the prevailing party. This proposal would increase the likelihood of disputes escalating in both process and cost. BATC provided testimony at the hearing in opposition to the policy, and will continue to fight this bill.
4. Workforce Housing Bill Introduced in House – HF 684 was introduced as a measure to increase workforce housing options in Greater Minnesota. BATC is supporting these initiatives which provide much-needed assistance to workforce homeowners. Additionally, these bills help spread BATC’s core message of housing affordability.
5. Builder Day at the Capitol – Join us on February 18^th for the Builder Day at the Capitol! Watch: BATC President Chris Contreras would like to personally invite you to attend.

---

Share On