MFL Commissioner's Blog: April 23, 2008 Archive

For the first time in MFL history, we're doing a double floor-a-palooza today. If the Senate takes up SF3363, the state budget information bill which includes that inflation provision that gives the governor nightmares, we'll do a floor-a-palooza. For the House, if it takes up HF3195, the cap-and-trade bill, we'll have a floor-a-palooza there too.

Check back for updates through the day.

UPDATE: The Senate took it up, and actually processed it pretty quickly. Only a handful of lawmakers spoke, and there were nowhere near the fireworks the Commish was hoping for. If I find another one on General Orders that will evoke some emotion from you're lawmakers, we'll do another today.

I always get a kick out of it when the two chambers talk about the same thing at the same time, even when they're discussing different bills. That's whats happening right now in the Senate and the House. The Senate is taking up SF2818, Ellen Anderson's version of the cap-and-trade bill, the same one that the House, if they take it up, will be having a floor-a-palooza on today. The House is on SF3337, the omnibus energy bill, that contains a provision about a climate change study. SF2818 has been a great point boon for Sen. Anderson, earning her 106 points, so far, and it hasn't even passed yet. The House has spent pretty much all morning on that omnibus energy bill, I hope for the sake of our point totals they move on soon, so we can get to their cap-and-trade bill and we can dish out some points.

Watch the House or Senate here.

UPDATE: The Senate just passed SF2818, and the House passed the omnibus energy bill and is taking up its companion, HF3195 right now. Way to get things moving, lawmakers.

Whatever was lacking in the Senate floor-a-palooza, the House one surely made up for it. Only a few senators spoke up about SF3363, mostly Republicans objecting to the inclusion of that inflation provision. The House had more than 30 speak up about HF3195, the cap-and-trade study. Keep in mind this is just a study on the environmental and economic implications of a regional cap-and-trade system, not an actual requirement for that system. Still, the House spent four hours debating not just its provisions, but about whether global warming even exists. It passed, 91-38.

The Senate passed their version of the study, SF2818, on General Orders after about an hour or so of debate. When a bill passes on General Orders, this isn't the same as final passage. Final passage will come later, possibly tomorrow since the House passed their version today. If the Senate does take it up for final passage tomorrow, we'll have a floor-a-palooza on that too, so we can get your senators some points too.

GopherMPH raised a point in our comments that deserves some attention too. Lawmakers get points for every committee their bill passes, that's how Sen. Ellen Anderson was able to rack up 106 points with it before today, and Rep. Kate Knuth earned 95 points including today's passage. They get points when it passes the other chamber too, so neither one is done earning points yet. The House and Senate have schedules posted on their web sites where you can look at what's going through committee, or better yet, you can take a look at the Calendar for the Day, where bills wait before they receive final passage

Here's the House and Senate committee schedule, and here's the House and Senate Calendar.