2018 Legislative Session End With Two Bills and Veto

Session Ends with 2 Bills and Veto

The 2018 legislative session ended and Governor Dayton vetoed the tax conformity bill and omnibus budget bill. Legislative leaders have publicly stated that they will not request a special session. Governor Dayton has also publicly stated that he will not call for a special session.

What does this all mean?
Because 2018 is the second year in a biennial session, the budget approved in 2017 will continue into 2018. Government will not shut down and services will continue with funding amounts in the 2017 budget. Items MNLCOA tracked in the omnibus budget bill included:

• Elder abuse reforms and working groups
• Elder social isolation working group (not part of omnibus bill)
• Funding to fix the 7% disability waiver rate reduction (resulting in a reduction to some providers)
• Financial exploitation permissive reporting work
• Medicaid work requirement
• Health Policy Commission

Some of this work may move forward (for example, working groups on elder justice topics) without a legislative mandate requiring it. The Council will continue to monitor any changes. The 2019 session is the start of a new biennium. Soon the Council will announce a date for the 2018 Summit which is sure to include information about the 2019 session.