Greetings from the Capitol,
On Tuesday, Senator Westrom and I met with area superintendents at the Capitol: Greg Schmidt, Minnewaska Area School; Ron Bratlie, Rothsay Schools; Rick Bleichner, Herman Norcross Schools; Kyle Edgerton, Campell-Tintah Schools; Dan Posthumus, Wheaton Schools; Phil Grant, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley Schools.
I also met with Elaine Martig, Cindy Nelson, and Michelle Knutson of Big Stone County to discuss local county issues.
Becky Miller of Wolverton met with me to discuss Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act (TEFRA) reform. TEFRA was designed to help children with disabilities whose parents have an income too high to qualify for Medical Assistance and/or other programs, or for those who qualify, but cannot afford it.
Upcoming Town Halls:
Senator Westrom and I will be co-hosting a series of town hall listening sessions throughout House District 12A on Friday, February 17. I encourage anyone interested in discussing or learning more about any legislative issue to attend. I hope to see you there!
The schedule is as follows:
- 9:30 – 10:15 – Elbow Lake - Elbow Lake Community Center, Swanson Community Room; 119 Central Ave. N. Elbow Lake
- 11:15 – 12:00 – Breckenridge – Breckenridge City Hall; 420 Nebraska Ave. Breckenridge
- 1:00 – 1:45 – Wheaton – Wheaton Community Library; 901 1st Ave. N. Wheaton
- 3:00 – 3:45 – Morris - Morris Public Library 102 E 6th St, Morris
- 4:30 – 5:15 – Starbuck - Starbuck Community Center, 307 East 5th Street Starbuck
Rural Finance Authority Loan Program:
Earlier this week, the House passed legislation that allocates funds to the Rural Finance Authority (RFA) loan program. The RFA partners with agricultural lenders to provide low-cost financing to farmers on terms and conditions not offered by other financial institutions. This program is an important factor in sustaining growth of the farming and agriculture economy in Minnesota.
The RFA portion of the loan is carried at a reduced interest rate to improve the cash flow of eligible farmers. We needed to act quickly due to the state's authorization to sell the bonds for the RFA program expired December 31, 2016.
The bill that passed provides a new authorization and $35 million for bonds to finance the program. Participating lenders provide 55% of the financing for the loans, and the state provides the remainder. The loans are user financed, meaning the debt service is repaid by the borrower, not the taxpayers. Since the RFA's inception, the average default rate has been .0007%.
U.S. Bank Stadium Suites Misuse:
This week the Legislative Auditor, Jim Nobles, released a report regarding the misuse of taxpayer funded suites at U.S. Bank Stadium by officials of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority. The audit discovered that nearly half of the tickets for the suites went to family and friends of these officials, instead of their intended purpose of using them as a marketing tool to private businesses in order to pay for the maintenance, upkeep, and interest.
To quote some of the findings by the Auditor: “The Authority’s claim that it needs two suites rather than one is not supported by facts or logic.” “The Authority failed to comply with state law by not maintaining a record of who received tickets to its stadium suites.” “We concluded that the Authority’s use of the tickets violated a core ethical principle.” “Given these and other findings, we recommend that the Legislature exercise stronger control over the Authority and, specifically, its use of complimentary tickets to stadium events.”
The legislature is currently working to reform the Authority to make them more accountable to the taxpayers of Minnesota. This sort of unethical and careless behavior cannot continue.
Staying in Touch:
Please be sure to contact me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding any issue related to state government. I can be reached by phone at either 651-296-4929, 701-361-1909, or via email at rep.jeff.backer@house.mn.
Have a great weekend,
