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legislation > governance
minnesota house and senate State elected officials are the lawmakers and the power brokers; they establish the laws which others (i.e. state agencies and departments, such as the Board of Animal Health, local animal pounds, law enforcement) execute. Nonprofit organizations, acting as humane agents, conducting spay/neuter programs or offering other shelter services, must also follow these laws. Animal protection is a statewide issue that speaks to Minnesota’s values. Any real change on behalf of companion animals must include State legislators, not just local officials. Find out what your State legislators believe, what committees they sit on, and what issues they influence.
General Minnesota House Minnesota Senate
Minnesota House and Senate Committees Before a bill goes to the full House and full Senate, it must be discussed by one or more committees. These House and Senate Committees either approve the bill, defeat it, amend and then approve it, or postpone debate. Per Minnesota process: “The House committee then sends a report to the House about its action on the bill; the Senate committee does likewise in the Senate. After the full House or Senate accepts the committee report, the bill has its second reading and is placed on the House agenda called the General Register or the Senate agenda called General Orders.” How a Bill becomes Law in Minnesota:
NOTE: S.F. 2292/ H.F. 2469 were introduced in the Minnesota Legislature (2008). The chief author of S.F. 2292 was Senator Don Beltzold. The chief author of H.F. 2469 was Representative Frank Hornstein. S.F. 2292 and H.F. 2469 were companion bills (same text for each at introduction). As with all legislation, S.F. 2292/H.F. 2469 needed to be heard in multiple committees before proceeding to the floor for a full vote. The deadline for these committee hearings was March 14 and March 19, 2008. The committee of origin for S.F. (Senate File) 2292 was the Senate Agricultural Committee; the committee of origin for H.F. (House File) 2469 was the House Public Safety and Civil Justice. The chair of the House Public Safety and Civil Justice committee gave H.F. 2469 a hearing; this committee passed the legislation without amendments. The Senate Agriculture Committee and other policy/finance committees, however, did not schedule hearings prior to the committee deadlines; therefore, the bills did not proceed in 2008. A new bill will be introduced in the 2009 legislative session. |
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