Lawmakers entered the last days and hours of the session with much work on high-profile bills still incomplete.
But whether or not they succeed in passing bills on taxes, bonding, opioids or elder care, legislators will at least be able to tell constituents they passed a few dozen other measures that Gov. Mark Dayton has already signed into law.
Many make specific tweaks to existing state law or apply only to certain cities or counties — the kind of legislative action that usually doesn't get much attention.
Five of the most recent bills to earn the governor's signature won unanimous support from both the House and Senate. They include new requirements on the collection of information about links between pornography and sex trafficking, changes to rules about bidding between counties and small and veteran-owned business, and an increase in the construction rate for a nursing facility project in Ramsey County.
Lawmakers also unanimously approved a bill that aims to increase privacy protections for farm data gathered by the University of Minnesota.
Two new laws create or strengthen penalties for very specific crimes; one makes misrepresenting an animal as a service animal a petty misdemeanor, while a second makes it a crime to interfere with ATMs, gas pumps/dispensers or other point-of-sale terminals. Meanwhile, all recreational boats must now be equipped with a carbon monoxide detector.
The Legislature has also approved several bills related to veterans, including one designating July 16 as Atomic Veterans Day.
