Vote scores for 2018 legislative session See how your legislators voted!

Publish Date
Votes scores 2018 Legislature

Below you will find explanations of the bills considered by this year's Legislature along with how each legislator voted. The Minnesota House is listed first below and the Senate is listed second.

House votes for 2018

  1. SF 3154 – Labor agreements and compensation plans ratified
    This bill provided final approval for various state employee contracts, including MAPE. The bill was brought up on procedural motion to waive the rules and give the bill its second and third readings for immediate consideration.
    MAPE GRC Position: “Yes” vote
    Vote: Passed 93-33
    Final Resolution: Signed into law
     

  2. SF 3062 – Loan forgiveness program changes and higher education faculty labor agreements
    The proposal made technical changes to several higher education loan forgiveness programs, extended some appropriations for those programs, and provided final approval for the Minnesota State College Faculty and Minnesota State University Association of Administrative and Service Faculty labor agreements.
    MAPE GRC Position: “Yes” vote
    Vote: Passed 127-4
    Final Resolution: Signed into law
     

  3. SF 3656 – Omnibus Supplemental Policy and Finance Bill- Zerwas amendment
    Rep. Nick Zerwas’s amendment proposed to include Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as an occupational disease for a certain classification of public employees, including conservation officers, 9-11 dispatchers, correctional officers, and law enforcement.
    MAPE GRC Position: “Yes” vote
    Result: Passed 124 - 0
    Final Resolution: adopted
     

  4. SF 3656 – Omnibus Supplemental Policy and Finance Bill- Final Passage (HF 4099 version)
    The House omnibus supplemental budget bill, H.F. 4099, was amended onto the Senate version and differed quite drastically. The amendment included the tip penalty for minimum wage service employees, steep cuts to the Department of Human Rights, a cut to the Department of Administration and transferring the Data Practices Office to the Office of Administrative Hearings, cut to the Board of Cosmetology, unspecified cuts across state agencies to pay for MNLARS, requiring agencies set aside 3.5 percent of their IT budgets for cyber security, and outsourcing of certain MN.IT Services.
    MAPE GRC Position: “No” vote
    Result: Passed 77 - 49
    Final Resolution: Vetoed
     

  5. SF 3656 – Omnibus Supplemental Policy and Finance Bill Conference Committee Report
    The anti-labor policy provisions were stripped out at the last minute, as well as the elimination and outsourcing of MN.IT Services. Still included in the bill was an unfunded requirement that all state executive agencies set aside 3.5 percent of their IT budget for cyber security, and an appropriation for the MNLARS contracts and technology costs.
    MAPE GRC Position: “No” vote
    Result: Passed 76 - 49
    Final Resolution: Vetoed
     

  6. SF 2620 – Omnibus Pension Reform Bill - Final Passage
    The pension reform legislation was brought up on emergency orders with the state employee contracts and passed with unanimous support 66-0. The bill was then amended in the House to include several local, non-controversial provisions that were awaiting legal settlement and the Senate again passed the legislation with unanimous support by concurrence vote. Reforms for MSRS include increased contribution rates for both employee and employer, reduction of COLAs, elimination of certain early retirement benefit subsidies, and adjustments to the mortality and assumed rate of return on investments over the 30-year amortization period. These reforms put the MSRS General and Correctional Plans on a path to full funding by 2048.
    MAPE GRC Position: “Yes” vote
    Result: Passed 131-0
    Final Resolution: Signed into law
     

  7. HF 4385 – Omnibus Tax Bill - Conference committee report
    Tax cuts proposed in the bill skew largely to top wage earners and businesses, leaving a large hole in general fund. The proposed cuts would wipe out 40 percent of the FY18-19 budget surplus and would grow over time, with no permanent solutions to fill the revenue shortfalls.
    MAPE GRC Position: “No” vote
    Result: Passed 78 - 50
    Final Resolution: Vetoed
     

  8. HF 947 – Omnibus Tax Bill - Conference Committee report
    The bill proposal is largely unchanged from the previous version that passed the House. Businesses and the top two income tiers receive a larger tax cut than working families. The proposed personal and business rate cuts would cost the state $565 million in revenues after being fully phased-in. A new provision in the bill was the school safety funding for infrastructure upgrades, though instead of new or general fund money being used, the proposal raids funds already allocated for teacher training and community education programs and the state’s budget reserves.
    MAPE GRC Position: “No” vote
    Result: Passed 85-42
    Final Resolution: Vetoed
     

  9. SF 3463 – Criminalizing protests and extending vicarious liability
    The bill proposes to extend vicarious liability any organization, including labor unions, that “recruits, trains, aids, advises, hires, counsels, conspires with, or otherwise procures another for the purpose of trespassing or causing damage to property.” While the intent is to deter organizations from encouraging already unlawful individual behavior, the effect stifles protected political speech under the First Amendment and would extend liability to labor organizations if property damage occurred during strikes, even if the organization did not encourage the unlawful behavior.
    MAPE GRC Position: “No” vote
    Result: Passed 77-46
    Final Resolution: Vetoed
     

  10. HF 4425 – Capital Investment- Final passage After the previous measure failed in the Senate, the caucuses agreed to expand the bill to include several critical infrastructure projects across the state. Included in the final $1.4 billion proposal:

    • $101 million for Minnesota State HEAPR and select campus projects
    • $26 million in DNR asset preservation
    • $6 million for Minnesota Zoo asset preservation
    • $46.8 million for DHS projects, including asset preservation, St. Peter Dietary Building HVAC and electrical replacement, and Anoka Roof and HVAC replacement
    • $41 million for Veterans Affairs, including asset preservation and three new veterans’ homes
    • $37 million for Department of Corrections, including Moose Lake control room renovation, plumbing and HVAC upgrades in St. Cloud, and asset preservation
      MAPE GRC Position: “Yes” vote
      Result: Passed 113-17
      Final Resolution: Signed into law
       

  11. HF 4437 – Constitutional dedication of auto parts sales tax revenues The proposal would permanently divert sales tax revenue collected on motor vehicle repair and replacement parts from the general fund to the Small Cities Assistance program and the Highway User Tax Distribution (HUTD) fund.

    MAPE opposed the constitutional amendment for several reasons. First, the cost to the general fund with the proposed constitutional and statutory changes would be $438 million in the 2022-/2023 biennium, rising to over $650 million in the 2026-/2027 biennium, likely resulting in cuts to public sector jobs and services. Second, the money can only be used on new road and bridge construction, not maintenance of existing roads or on transit projects. Third, constitutionally dedicating revenues to specific policy areas severely impedes the legislature’s ability to make public policy decisions or address crisis situations.
    MAPE GRC Position: “No” vote
    Result: Passed 76-54
    Final Resolution: Senate did not take up the measure
     

Voting guide Symbol
Abstained/did not vote O
Supported MAPE’s position Y
Opposed MAPE’s position N
MN House vote scores 2018

Senate votes 2018

  1. S.F. 3154 – Labor agreements and compensation plans ratified
    This bill provided final approval for various state employee contracts, including MAPE. The bill was brought up on procedural motion to waive the rules and give the bill its second and third readings for immediate consideration.
    MAPE GRC Position: “Yes” vote
    Vote: Passed 56-10
    Final Resolution: Passed
     

  2. SF 3062 – Loan forgiveness programs changes and higher education faculty labor agreements The bill made technical changes to several higher education loan forgiveness programs, extended some appropriations for those programs, and provided final approval for the Minnesota State College Faculty and Minnesota State University Association of Administrative and Service Faculty labor agreements.
    MAPE GRC Position: “Yes” vote
    Vote: Passed 55-0
    Final Resolution: Passed
     

  3. SF 3656 – Omnibus Supplemental Policy and Finance Bill- Cohen Amendment
    Sen. Dick Cohen’s amendment proposing to delete a provision of the bill that required the exclusive representatives of the bargaining units to negotiate and send to the Subcommittee on Employee Relations (SER) the agreed upon SEGIP language separately from the compensation and other terms of employment. This would cause large delays in the bargaining process and interferes with the ability of both parties’ ability to negotiate terms of employment in good faith.
    MAPE GRC Position: “Yes” vote
    Vote: Failed 33-34
    Final Resolution: Not adopted
     

  4. SF 3656 – Omnibus Supplemental Policy and Finance Bill- Laine Amendment
    Sen. Carolyn Laine’s amendment proposing to delete the section that would require the governor to sign the bills ratifying state employee contracts into law before the contracts can take effect. This would allow the legislature to attach unpopular provisions, including anti-labor language, onto the bill carrying the contracts. The proposal was put forth in response to the 2017 veto of S.F. 3 Labor Standards bill, which tied the Paid Parental Leave (PPL) MOUs, the Minnesota Government Engineers’ Council (MGEC) contracts, and pension reform legislation to preemption. The veto killed the pension and preemption sections, but because the contracts received the received the requisite legislative approval, PPL and the MGEC contract went into effect.
    MAPE GRC Position: “Yes” vote
    Result: Failed 33-34
    Final Resolution: Not adopted
     

  5. SF 3656 – Omnibus Supplemental Policy and Finance Bill- Frentz Amendment
    Sen. Nick Frentz’s amendment proposing to include Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as an occupational disease for a certain classification of public employees, including conservation officers, 9-11 dispatchers, correctional officers, and law enforcement.
    MAPE GRC Position: “Yes” vote
    Result: Failed 33 - 34
    Final Resolution: Not adopted
     

  6. SF 3656 – Omnibus Supplemental Policy and Finance Bill- Final Passage
    This version of the Senate omnibus supplemental budget bill included eliminating MN.IT Services as an agency, moving under the purview of Department of Administration and outsourcing a bulk of their work; state-level codification of prohibiting fair-share fees; a portion of the MNLARS appropriation; requiring MMB to send SEGIP proposals separately from compensation plans to the SER; and changing the contract ratification process by making contract ratification contingent on enactment by law.
    MAPE GRC Position: “No” vote Result: Passed 34 - 31 Final Resolution: Vetoed
     

  7. SF 3656 – Omnibus Supplemental Policy and Finance Bill Conference Committee Report
    The anti-labor policy provisions were stripped out at the last minute, as well as the elimination and outsourcing of MN.IT Services. Still included in the bill was an unfunded requirement that all state executive agencies set aside 3.5 percent of their IT budget for cyber security, and an appropriation for the MNLARS contracts and technology costs.
    MAPE GRC Position: “No” vote
    Result: Passed 35 - 32
    Final Resolution: Vetoed
     

  8. SF 2620 – Omnibus Pension Reform Bill- Final Passage
    The pension reform legislation was brought up on emergency orders with the state employee contracts and passed with unanimous support 66-0. The bill was then amended in the House to include several local, non-controversial provisions that were awaiting legal settlement and the Senate again passed the legislation with unanimous support by concurrence vote. Reforms for MSRS include increased contribution rates for both employee and employer, reduction of COLAs, elimination of certain early retirement benefit subsidies, and adjustments to the mortality and assumed rate of return on investments over the 30-year amortization period. These reforms put the MSRS General and Correctional Plans on a path to full funding by 2048.
    MAPE GRC Position: “Yes” vote
    Result: Passed 67-0
    Final Resolution: Signed into law
     

  9. HF 4385 – Omnibus Tax Bill- Cohen Amendment
    The Senate version of the Omnibus Tax bill proposed and automatic tax cut trigger, which would reduce income and corporate tax rates by one-tenth of 1 percent if the November budget forecast projected a certain amount of a budget surplus.
    MAPE GRC Position: “Yes” vote
    Result: Failed 32-34
    Final Resolution: Vetoed
     

  10. HF 4385 – Omnibus Tax Bill- Conference committee report
    Tax cuts proposed in the bill skew largely to top wage earners and businesses, leaving a large hole in general fund. The proposed cuts would wipe out 40 percent of the FY18-19 budget surplus and would grow over time, with no permanent solutions to fill the revenue shortfalls.
    MAPE GRC Position: “No” vote Result: Passed 34-33 Final Resolution: Vetoed
     

  11. HF 947 – Omnibus Tax Bill- Conference Committee report
    This proposal is largely unchanged from the previous version that passed the Senate. Businesses and the top two income tiers receive a larger tax cut than working families. The proposed personal and business rate cuts would cost the state $565 million in revenues after being fully phased-in. A new provision in the bill was the school safety funding for infrastructure upgrades, though instead of new or general fund money being used, the proposal raids funds already allocated for teacher training and community education programs and the state’s budget reserves.
    MAPE GRC Position: “No” vote
    Result: Passed 34-33
    Final Resolution: Vetoed
     

  12. SF 3463 – Criminalizing protests and extending vicarious liability
    This bill proposes to extend vicarious liability to any organization, including labor unions, that “recruits, trains, aids, advises, hires, counsels, conspires with, or otherwise procures another for the purpose of trespassing or causing damage to property.” While the intent is to deter organizations from encouraging already unlawful individual behavior, the effect stifles protected political speech under the First Amendment and would extend liability to labor organizations if property damage occurred during strikes, even if the organization did not encourage the unlawful behavior.
    MAPE GRC Position: “No” vote
    Result: Passed 37-28
    Final Resolution: Vetoed
     

  13. HF 4425 – Capital Investment
    After the previous measure failed in the Senate, the caucuses agreed to expand the bill to include several critical infrastructure projects across the state. Included in the final $1.4 billion proposal:

    • $101 million for Minnesota State HEAPR and select campus projects
    • $26 million in DNR asset preservation
    • $6 million for Minnesota Zoo asset preservation
    • $46.8 million for DHS projects, including asset preservation, St. Peter Dietary Building HVAC and electrical replacement, and Anoka Roof and HVAC replacement
    • $41 million for Veterans Affairs, including asset preservation and three new veterans’ homes
    • $37 million for Department of Corrections, including Moose Lake control room renovation, plumbing and HVAC upgrades in St. Cloud, and asset preservation
      MAPE GRC Position: “Yes” vote
      Result: Passed 42 - 25
      Final Resolution: Signed into law
Voting guide Symbol
Abstained/did not vote O
Supported MAPE’s position Y
Opposed MAPE’s position N
MN Senate vote scores for 2018