Dear Neighbors,
Last Friday, June 12th, the legislature held a special session to repass a number of bipartisan budget bills that had been vetoed by Governor Dayton as well as bills relating to Legacy funding and capital investment.
While I am disappointed that there was the need for a special session, I am happy that members from both sides of the aisle were able to come together and complete the work that Minnesotans sent us to St. Paul to accomplish.
The bill that received the most attention prior to the special session was the education omnibus bill. As you may remember from previous updates, the governor had originally vetoed this bill over his insistence on funding universal pre-kindergarten for all Minnesotan children. This proposal received little to no support from Democrats and Republicans alike and in the end, the governor ended up dropping this demand.
Our renegotiated, bipartisan education bill that has now been signed into law by the governor includes:
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$525 million in additional education funding which includes a full 2 percent on the student formula in 2016 and 2017
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Increased biennial per pupil funding for every student in every school district across the state by an average of $388
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$95 million to prioritize early learners with funding for pre-k scholarships and school readiness aid
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Teacher licensure reform to address teacher shortages in Greater Minnesota
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Additional funding for facilities maintenance which will help reduce funding disparities for Greater Minnesota school districts and help finance the upkeep of school buildings
Next, we repassed the Jobs Growth bill. This bill, which remained largely unchanged from the bill that was vetoed by the governor, continues our commitment to growing jobs across the state and expanding broadband access in Greater Minnesota. It also makes investments in work-force housing for communities in Greater Minnesota. Finally, it allocates funds for special unemployment assistance for farm workers impacted by the avian flu outbreak as well as steelworkers impacted by layoffs on the Iron Range.
We also passed a renegotiated Agriculture and Environment budget bill. This bill provides nearly $23 million to state agencies to better prevent and respond to the avian flu outbreak that has devastated so many turkey producers here in Minnesota. It also includes important reforms to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s citizens review board. Finally, we held our ground and ensured that the governor’s plan to implement a one size fits all, 50-foot agriculture buffer did not come to fruition.
Along with these important budget bills, we also passed a Legacy funding bill and a capital investment bill. Both of these bills focus on statewide needs and include funding for disaster relief, transportation projects, wastewater infrastructure improvements, and other projects.
With a Democrat governor and Senate coupled with a Republican controlled House, we understood that not every side was going to be able to achieve everything they set out to accomplish this year. With that being said, I am proud of the work we were able to complete this session.
Minnesotans expect us to come to St. Paul and lead by working together. Our budget is bipartisan and addresses the diverse needs of our state—both from Greater MN and Metro communities. Not only did we invest in the things that matter most to Minnesotans, we did it without raising taxes and left nearly $850 million on the state’s bottom line for important investments in transportation and tax relief—which are among my top priorities for next year.
What’s more, we held our ground and defeated the largest proposed gas tax in state history, slowed the growth of government considerably, passed important reforms that will bring more funding to our nursing homes, and made significant investments in education.
Once again, thank you for the opportunity to serve as your representative in St. Paul. Even though session is officially done for the year, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding legislation or a state agency. It would be an honor to speak with you.
Enjoy your summer,
Jeff