Senate Engrossing Office

Legislative Role

The Secretary of the Senate, Engrossing Office, provides internal legislative production services to Senate members and employees and functions under the jurisdiction of the Committee on Rules and Administration, under the direction of the Secretary of the Senate. The Engrossing Office works jointly with the Senate Desk and prepares and processes Committee Reports, Governor's Appointments, and Floor Amendments.

Functions and Services

• The Engrossing Office performs the following duties:
  • Processing Committee Reports. The Engrossing Secretary checks the committee report for correct drafting of amendments, proper wording, clarity, engrossability, internal references, title amendments, statutory references, grammar, punctuation and other details. All committee reports are then put into an electronic format. The final copy of the report and the original bill are sent to the Secretary of the Senate, Senate Desk. The Engrossing Secretary keeps a record of all committee reports by committee and file number, date received and date transmitted to the Desk.
  • Processing, providing drafting assistance of, and distributing floor amendments. Floor amendments are generally prepared ahead of time whenever possible to permit proper review by the Engrossing Secretary or a Senate Counsel, Research and Fiscal Analysis attorney before session. All floor amendments are converted to a computerized format for use in the Senate Journal.
  • Processing and recording Governor's appointments. These are appointments made by the Governor to state agencies that require confirmation by the Senate which are referred to the appropriate committees. The Engrossing Secretary processes governor's appointments for Senate approval and fields any questions. View a current list of Senate Confirmation of Executive Appointments.

Key Resources

Resource	Description
Senate Confirmation of Executive Appointments	The Senate is authorized to give its advice and consent on executive appointments under Minnesota Statutes, section 15.066
Senate Floor Amendments	This is a resource for positions open within legislative offices.

Timeline and Calendar Highlights

Date timeline	Description
July 1	State fiscal year begins each year, and in odd-numbered years, state fiscal biennium begins.
July through December	Groundwork is laid for upcoming legislative session. Ongoing budget activity, budget-related events, trends, and issues are analyzed for their fiscal policy implications. Budget divisions, committees, and legislative commissions hold special meetings to examine pending issues.
End of November	Department of Finance issues November Forecast of state revenues and expenditures.
Beginning of January	Legislature convenes, begins official budget hearings and committee hearings to discuss pertinent issues and bills. Staff drafts bills and amendments upon request of Senators.
Fourth Tuesday in January in odd-numbered years, or third Tuesday in February, if a new governor has just been elected	Governor issues detailed budget for following biennium.
Mid February	Governor issues detailed budget and policy bills for the next biennium.
End of February	Department of Finance issues February Forecast of state revenues and expenditures.
March to June	Legislature finishes committee and budget hearings, bills are debated and voted on in floor sessions, and conference committees meet to finalize bills. Governor signs or vetoes legislation.
Monday following third Saturday in May	Constitution mandates end of regular session.

Staff List

Name	Title	Office	Phone Number
Lindsey Bundgaard	Engrossing Specialist	207 Capitol	651.296.0855
Christian Knellwolf	Legislative Assistant	207 Capitol	651.296.0645
Melissa Mapes	Engrossing Secretary	207 Capitol	651.296.4149
Steven Siqueiros	Engrossing Specialist	207 Capitol	651.296.4868