Rep Knoblach (R-14B), who authored the Omnibus Supplemental Spending bill that was voted for at 3:00 am in the morning, made an outrageous argument on the House floor in response to the legality of his bill. Article 4, Section 17 of the Minnesota Constitution states: No law shall embrace more than one subject, which shall be expressed in its title. Knoblach's bill SF3656 clearly violates this clause. Note: we added the bill's subject language below because it is too long for the body of this article.

Rep Knoblach argued that he wished there was a "constitutional prohibition that still worked regarding the single subject rule". The legislator is referencing a court case he lost against the Legislature several years back where he argued a bill that funded the Senate Office Building violated the single subject rule. The problem, however, is that hiding behind a court ruling is not an excuse for violating one's oath of office. Knoblach has a duty to follow the Constitution of Minnesota as it is written, not interpreted by activist judges. In his speech, he even acknowledges how he agrees that the bill is not Constitutional. Here's a clip of Rep Knoblach's floor speech.

The subject of SF3656 bill is: A bill for an act relating to state government; appropriating money for agriculture, rural development, housing, state government, public safety, transportation, environment, natural resources, energy, jobs, economic development, higher education, prekindergarten through grade 12 education, health, and human services; modifying agriculture, rural development, and housing provisions; specifying conditions of legislative ratification of proposed collective bargaining agreements; requiring proposed changes to state employee group insurance to be submitted separately to Legislative Coordinating Commission; requiring certain information about collective bargaining agreements and compensation plans be submitted to Legislative Coordinating Commission; creating transition period for Legislative Budget Office to take responsibility for coordinating fiscal notes and local impact notes; establishing Legislative Budget Office Oversight Commission; modifying the effective date of certain provisions governing preparation of fiscal notes; abolishing Office of MN.IT Services; establishing division of information technology within Department of Administration; permitting agencies more flexibility in contracting for information technology projects; requiring agencies to determine impact of proposed rule on cost of residential construction or remodeling; requiring notice to applicable legislative committees; precluding adoption of residential construction rules having certain cost until after next legislative session; exempting hair braiders from cosmetology registration requirements; prohibiting exclusive representative from charging fair share fee to nonmembers; investigating possible registration or voting by ineligible voters and reporting to law enforcement; increasing penalties for child pornography offenses; requiring reports on court-imposed stays of sentence or adjudication for sex offenses; restricting grounds that permit reunification of parents and children after parent sexually abuses child; increasing maximum penalty for certain invasion of privacy crimes involving minors; requiring predatory offender registration for certain invasion of privacy crimes involving minors; requiring collection of information on connection between pornography and sex trafficking; expanding authorized prostitution penalty assessment to include additional crimes; expanding criminal sexual conduct offenses for persons in current or recent positions of authority over juveniles and for peace officers who engage in sexual activity with those in custody; extending sunset date for court technology fund; expanding list of prior offenses that support a conviction of first-degree driving while impaired; prohibiting Department of Human Rights from using federal funds to expand program; modifying various provisions governing transportation and public safety policy and finance; modifying certain loan programs; modifying energy provisions; modifying environment and natural resources provisions; adding to and deleting from state parks, recreation areas, and forests; modifying drainage law; creating accounts; providing for disposition of certain receipts; modifying renewable development account utility annual contribution; modifying solar energy incentive program; establishing pension rate base; establishing criteria for utility cost recovery of energy storage system pilot projects; establishing utility stakeholder group; requiring investor-owned utilities to include in integrated resource plans an assessment of energy storage systems; establishing solar energy grant program for school districts; extending expiration date for an assessment; requiring creation of an excavation notice system contact information database; requiring cost-benefit analysis of energy storage systems; modifying job training program requirements; limiting use of funds in Douglas J. Johnson economic protection trust fund; modifying youth skills training program; modifying accessibility requirements for public buildings; modifying fees for manufactured home installers; adopting recommendations of Workers' Compensation Advisory Council; adjusting basis for determining salary for judges of Workers' Compensation Court of Appeals; adopting recommendations of Unemployment Insurance Advisory Council; modifying certain higher education policy provisions; making clarifying and technical changes to loan forgiveness and research grant programs; providing for school safety, general education, education excellence, teachers, special education, facilities and technology, libraries, early education, and state agencies; making forecast adjustments; modifying provisions governing children and families, licensing, state-operated services, chemical and mental health, community supports and continuing care, and health care; modifying Department of Human Services administrative funds transfer; establishing Minnesota Health Policy Commission; repealing preferred incontinence program in medical assistance; increasing reimbursement rates for doula services; modifying telemedicine service limits; modifying EPSDT screening payments; modifying capitation payment delay; modifying provisions relating to wells and borings; adding security screening systems to ionizing radiation-producing equipment regulation; authorizing statewide tobacco cessation services; establishing an opioid reduction pilot program; establishing a low-value health services study; requiring coverage of 3D mammograms; requiring disclosure of facility fees; establishing a step therapy override process; requiring the synchronization of prescription refills; prohibiting a health plan company from preventing a pharmacist from informing a patient of a price differential; converting allied health professionals to a birth month renewal cycle; modifying temporary license suspensions and background checks for health-related professions; requiring a prescriber to access the prescription monitoring program before prescribing certain controlled substances; authorizing the Board of Pharmacy to impose a fee from a prescriber or pharmacist accessing prescription monitoring data through a service offered by the board's vendor; requiring administrative changes at the Office of Health Facility Complaints; providing access to information and data sharing; making technical changes; requiring rulemaking; requiring reports

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