We know you can buy growlers of beer from your local craft brewer on Sunday. We know you can now expect a 6-year code cycle starting in 2018. We know homeowner attorneys fees will not become law. We know that the state will begin rule making to create a radon remediation license (it will not impact new construction).
What we don’t know is how legislators will finalize all the loose ends that were left undone when several budget bills were vetoed by the Governor. Special Session is still looming and we hope Legislators will be called back into St. Paul within the week to cross all the budget “Ts” and dot the policy “Is.
Brian and I have been talking with the Administration and Legislators for the two weeks as progress is slowly being made to solve the budget puzzle. We hear that they are close, so very close, to a universal deal on Education, Environment, Bonding, Jobs and Economic Development, etc…
Among the items we are still tracking are:
- 50’ buffer – making sure the agriculture deal sticks and stays away from our industry
- bonding – will there be projects approved that facilitate infrastructure and new construction?
- energy policy – will the conservation improvement program (CIP) sunset? will there be policy changes to state’s conservation goals?
- wetlands #1 – 404 permitting: will the state begin the process of taking on the COE’s wetland permitting responsibilities?
- wetlands #2 – fees in lieu of dedication: will the state pass comprehensive wetlands conservation act amendments to include changes in banking?
- workforce housing – what will the states workforce housing program look like? will it be just money, or will they find areas to do regulatory relief, too?
- codes – making sure there are no “surprise” provisions that alter the codes bill or sneak in things like light weight construction sprinkler disclosures.