Minnesota legislative geeks and observers of events under the dome, get your calendars out -- the Legislature has set its committee deadlines:
March 25: Deadline for "committees to act favorably on major appropriation and finance bills."
April 29: Deadline for " committees to act favorably on bills, or companions of bills, that met the first deadline in the other house"
May 6: Deadline for "committees to act favorably on bills, or companions of bills, that met the first deadline in the other house
What, say the legislative geeks, that chronologically first deadline looks looks much like the 3rd deadline from days gone by. True. Normally the deadline for finance bills is the third deadline, that is, closest to the end of session.
This year, however, House and Senate leaders decided to move the third deadline to the first place to emphasize their focus on budget and economic issues. Only after they are done with those issues will they move on to other policy matters.
If the deadline switcheroo sounds a bit out of the ordinary, it is and resulted in this odd phrasing on the Legislative website:
1st deadline - Friday, April 29, 2010, at 11:59 p.m.
2nd deadline - Friday, May 6, 2010, at 11:59 p.m.
3rd deadline - Friday, March 25, 2010, at 11:59 p.m.
