Legislature Reaches 3rd Committee Deadline

Friday was the 3rd Committee Deadline, the date by which all finance bills must be reported to the House Ways and Means Committee or the Senate Finance Committee. All Finance Committees in the two bodies were busy this week marking up their finance bills, some of which are scheduled to be heard in Ways and Means or Finance next week. 

The 2021 session has only five weeks left before its May 17 target adjournment date. Before it can adjourn, it must approve all finance bills to fund state government for the two-year biennium which begins July 1.   The two bodies are very far apart on both taxes and spending and the coming weeks are expected to be contentious .

Senate Passes Continuing Education Bill

On Thursday, April 8, 2021, the Senate unanimously passed SF1020 (Dahms, R-Redwood Falls), which regulates continuing education sponsors and instructors for Commerce Department education related classes. It allows coordinators and instructors the option to display a company or course provider’s logo or branding. It also allows a conference booth outside the classroom where the educational content is being delivered to display the company’s logo. Sponsors may also display the logo or branding associated with a particular entity to thank the entity as an organizational partner of the course provider during a scheduled and approved break in the delivery of course content. The display must be separate from a registration location. The was sent to the House, where its companion bill is pending on the floor.