Minnesotans are still poring over the hundreds of pages of legislation state lawmakers speedily passed during their single-day special session this week.
The big picture: Together, the bills comprise a two-year state budget worth roughly $66 billion — 8% smaller than the previous spending plan, per the Minnesota Reformer.
Here's some of what lawmakers did:
🏥 Cut state-funded health insurance for undocumented adults. Republicans rejected DFL offers to cut other programs instead, arguing Minnesota couldn't afford higher-than-anticipated enrollment in the state's health plans, MinnPost reported.
In the tied House, leader Melissa Hortman was the only Democrat to vote for the legislation — a move she said she made to ensure the broader budget deal passed.
🌿 Raised the cannabis tax. After lawmakers increased it from 10% to 15%, Minnesota's excise tax on retail sales will now be among the highest in the nation, according to the Star Tribune.
⚡️ Regulated data centers. The new package extends sales tax breaks for the rapidly-growing sector, while also erecting guardrails designed to manage data centers' massive demands for electricity and water, per the Strib.
🛹 Passed a $700 million infrastructure package. While mostly focused on road and water projects, it also included money for eight new skate parks.
