Governor Tim Walz and legislative leaders met a couple of times on Monday, trying to reach an agreement on overall budget spending targets with less than two weeks to go in the session. No major progress was reported in those meetings.

However, the Minnesota House did finally take up the human services finance bill, one of the major budget bills that needs to pass by the May 19 deadline. It reduces projected spending in human services by about $1.3 billion, but preserves funding for nursing homes.

It passed early Monday night on a vote of 109-25. They still need to reach a compromise on human services with the Minnesota Senate.

Meanwhile, the Senate Subcommittee on Ethics deadlocked on a Republican ethics complaint filed against DFL Senate President Bobby Joe Champion. Republicans say he violated Senate ethics rules by not disclosing the fact that he had been the attorney for a Minneapolis non-profit when he authored a bill that provided the organization with $3 million.

RELATED: Senate Ethics Subcommittee finds Bobby Joe Champion didn’t violate conflict of interest rules

“We believe it is a violation of Senate rules … for Senator Champion to carry this legislation for a legal client, particularly without disclosing the relationship to his colleagues in the Senate or the public,” said Sen. Michael Kreun, R-Blaine. Kruen filed the complaint against Champion last month.

 “How long must I be removed from representing a client before I can bring a bill for that person because they’re a member of our community?” Champion asked while defending himself in the hearing.

Champion says he accepted no money for the legal services he provided.

After the committee of two Republicans and two Democrats deadlock 2-2, the matter is now considered closed. 

Senator Michael Kreun, R-Blaine, released a statement responding to the committee vote.

“It’s disappointing that partisanship won out today,” Kreun said. “Sen. Champion clearly withheld information of interest to the public about his attorney-client relationship with Salem Inc., and as a result, taxpayers funded a group with a poor financial track record. Democrats would rather look the other way than acknowledge what is plain to anyone else — Sen. Champion’s actions directing funds to a legal client was wrong. This behavior that puts political preferences before common sense makes Minnesotans feel left out of the Capitol conversations. The committee should have stood up for Minnesotans first and made clear this behavior is unacceptable in the Senate.”

Meanwhile, Champion issued his own statement. “I thank the members of the ethics subcommittee for their work,” he said. “As I have maintained since the beginning of this discussion, I have followed the rules of the Senate. I did not introduce or advocate for legislation on which I had a conflict of interest and I’m grateful that the subcommittee did not find probable cause.”