Walz signs 5 omnibus spending bills; House passes E-12 education budget

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed five budget bills into law on Saturday, ensuring at least part of the government will be funded after the June 30 budget deadline.

The bills Walz signed were related to transportation, higher education, agriculture, commerce and energy, and legacy funding for the environment and arts.

“These bills will fuel our clean energy transition, providing jobs and clean air for generations to come; support the next generation of Minnesota’s workforce by investing in our students; keep our parks, trails, and waters clean and vibrant; and help maintain the strength of our agriculture industry," Walz said in a statement Saturday.

Lawmakers have yet to pass final versions of 10 more budget bills as the deadline nears. Police accountability measures and public safety funding remain contentious issues in the divided Legislature.

Meanwhile, the DFL-controlled House of Representatives on Saturday passed a bipartisan E-12 education budget bill by a 105-20 vote. Highlights of the bill include preserving 4,000 pre-kindergarten spots and $11.7 million in funding toward programs DFL lawmakers say will help address a shortage of teachers of color.

The spending bill does not include a GOP proposal for private school vouchers, which Republicans argued would bridge the state’s achievement gap between white students and students of color.

"We need a reading program … that helps new immigrants and existing … low-income people to learn how to read," Rep. Glenn Gruenhagen, R-Glencoe, said on the House floor. "It’s one way they can advance themselves economically, and we want them to become part of the middle class. That’s what we want. But members, that’s hard to do when we’ve got one of the worst achievement gaps in the nation."

But DFL lawmakers were skeptical that private schools were the solution to the problem.

"I fail to see where a private school voucher system changes that," Said Rep. Jim Davnie, DFL-Minneapolis. "I think what we need to do is invest in the students that you claim to care about."