MARSHALL — The Minnesota legislature is reaching a key point in the current session, when bills are passing through committee and on to the floors of the state House and Senate.

“The bills are starting to come together,” said Rep. Chris Swedzinski, R-Ghent.

One of the big tasks ahead for lawmakers will be to set a new two-year state budget. So far, it looks like legislators have made progress toward accomplishing that task without having to go into a special session, said Sen. Gary Dahms, R-Redwood Falls.

“We’re in a good spot. But the hard work comes now, because we have to put these bills together,” Dahms said. It will take the House, Senate and Gov. Tim Walz to work out a state budget, he said.

Swedzinski said working with a projected $1.6 billion surplus is “a lot nicer” than working with a deficit, but he still had some concerns about setting a budget, especially proposals that include tax increases.

“Obviously taxes are going to be a major issue,” Swedzinski said. With a projected budget surplus and many Minnesotans hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic, the state should be giving people a chance for relief, he said. Swedzinski said he supported making income from federal Paycheck Protection Program loans and pandemic unemployment benefits non-taxable.

One question facing the Legislature this spring is whether any bonding measures will pass. This is not a bonding year, and while Dahms and Swedzinski said it’s possible there could be some bonding for projects like municipal water treatment or facilities upkeep at colleges and universities, they thought it wouldn’t be a large amount. “We’re not going to spend billions of dollars,” Dahms said.

Not all of the bills local legislators have been working on involved heavy policy topics. On Thursday, the Senate passed Dahms’ bill to create an agriculture-themed specialty license plate in Minnesota. The license plates would help raise funds to help support youth agriculture programs like FFA and 4-H.

“Agriculture is our second largest industry in Minnesota,” Dahms said. Supporting youth ag programs “is a great way to get these young folks involved.”

Programs like FFA and 4-H not only introduce kids to agriculture, but they provide opportunities to develop leadership, public speaking and many other skills, Dahms said. “It really gives them a real basis, that they use throughout their life.”

The companion bill in the Minnesota House is waiting for action by the House Ways and Means Committee. If the ag license plate bill gets final approval, the special plates would be available starting Jan. 1, Dahms said.