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Housing Omnibus Conference Committee Begins Work To Reconcile House and Senate Differences
Lawmakers met during the week of May 5 to identify differences between the House and Senate housing bills but are waiting for joint legislative budget targets before moving forward.
On May 8, the housing omnibus conference committee held its first meeting to begin reconciling differences between the House and Senate housing proposals. Both chambers passed their versions of the bill with broad bipartisan support. However, the House bill would appropriate $75 million in new spending and authorize $100 million for housing infrastructure bonds, while the Senate version proposes just $3 million in new funding.
The League of Minnesota Cities submitted written testimony expressing support for various provisions in both bills. Interested cities can view the side-by-side comparison of House and Senate language, as well as the spreadsheet outlining each bill’s funding position.
- Read the League’s written testimony on proposed housing omnibus bills (pdf).
- View a side-by-side comparison of the House and Senate housing proposals (pdf).
- View the budget spreadsheet for the House and Senate housing bills (pdf).
What’s in the bills for cities
While major funding differences remain, the two sides appear to agree on many finance and policy provisions. The conference committee is now waiting on joint budget targets, which are still being negotiated by Gov. Tim Walz and House and Senate leaders, before scheduling a second meeting.
View a comparison of the House and Senate housing omnibus bill policy provisions (pdf).
Funding highlights of interest to cities include:
- $20 million for Greater Minnesota housing infrastructure grants (House), compared to $2 million in the Senate.
- $10 million for the Housing Challenge Program.
- $10 million for the Greater Minnesota Workforce Housing Development Program.
- $2 million for manufactured home park infrastructure grants.
Policy provisions of interest to cities include:
- A House provision that would require the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency to award additional points to project applications based on certain local zoning and land use regulations.
- A Senate provision that would allow market-rate rental projects that receive Workforce Housing Development Program grants to qualify for State Housing Tax Credit resources.