The first conference committee to finalize a bill to legalize recreational marijuana in Minnesota will convene at 9:30 a.m. Friday, and will allow attendance and written comments from the public.
The public will not be allowed to speak at the meeting, but can submit written statements by 9 p.m. Thursday, May 12. The comments can be emailed to either simon.brown@house.mn.gov or courtney.schaff@senate.mn, and must be submitted in PDF format.
The conference committee will meet in Room G-23 of the State Capitol.
Representative Zack Stephenson, DFL-Coon Rapids, wrote on Twitter that he expects the conference committee to meet more than once this month to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. Lawmakers have until the end of the legislative session, May 22, to come up with a final bill.
Last month, Senator Lindsey Port, DFL-Burnsville, the sponsor of the Senate bill, told Sahan Journal that she wanted the conference committee process to be open to the public.
“This will be one of the most closely watched conference committees in a while, so we are intending to make it as transparent as possible,” she said at the time.
