Dear Neighbor,
Tomorrow (Friday) is the first House deadline for bills to receive preliminary committee hearings and remain in the mix for passage this session. Our committee schedules have been packed and relatively little time has been spent on the House floor.
One bill important bill we did pass on the floor Monday provides $5 million in immediate funding to replenish our Local Road Wetland Replacement Program. Without the funding this bill provides, our counties were concerned many 2017 local road projects would be delayed or altogether canceled. The bill is now in the hands of Gov. Mark Dayton for enactment.
As for bill hearings and the committee process, the Ag Policy Committee I chair has been very busy. This week we reviewed the omnibus ag policy bill. One provision I am pleased to see included is language regarding farmer-lender mediation. A bill (H.F. 1511) I have authored on the same subject advanced through the Civil Law Committee this week and I hope we can get this into enactment. As I mentioned in a recent email, the minimum debt amount for participation in the state’s Farmer-Lender Mediation Act has remained the same since the program was established in 1986 and my bill would bring the program up to date with today’s dollar.
This week my bill to extend summer contracts for FFA/ag instructors also advanced through the Education Finance Committee and remains available for passage. Summer is the busiest season of the year for ag, so it makes sense to extend the instruction period into that time. My bill is a continuation of legislation I previously authored and successfully provided $250,000 for this purpose last year. A total of 43 Minnesota schools took advantage of the program last year, partnering with the state on a 1:1 match to provide summertime instruction.
We also recently heard testimony in the House Property Tax Division regarding how ag land is impacted by tax levies. More specifically, it was a comparison of the ratio of capital construction referendums in the seven-county metro area successfully passed compared with the same in Greater Minnesota. This is a complex issue and I addressed it in a column I submitted to area newspapers this week. So, check your paper or click here to read more.
On a final note, I would like to pass along information that may be of interest to local K-12 students: A statewide essay contest is taking place which could land them recognition at the Capitol and $1,000 in savings for college. The contest is in conjunction with the grand re-opening events celebrating the completion of a $310 million restoration of our century-old Capitol. All essays must be received via email or postmarked by April 28. More information on the contest regarding essay subjects, rules, submission and more provided at this link. It would be nice to see a good number of submissions from our region and good luck to those who participate in this contest.
Look for more from the Capitol as things develop, especially regarding initial progress in establishing a new two-year state budget. The House plans to soon unveil its preliminary spending structure for various areas of the budget and I will break that down once that information is available.
Sincerely,
Paul