Dear Lakeville friends,
First, Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms in Lakeville! We should have great, warm weather this weekend to help celebrate all that our mothers do for us! (And hopefully get out on a lake and go fishing for the Opener)
Budget Negotiations
We’re completing our final budget proposals, and have passed most of our compromise budget bills with the Senate. It’s encouraging to see us making early progress and passing these bills on to the governor, ahead of schedule. I’m eager to pass the remaining few bills early next week.
However, I must share that it has not been easy. The Senate only has a one-seat majority which can make it difficult to pass these larger bills. We’re expecting to finish passing the last round of budget bills on Monday.
On top of the difficulties facing the Senate, Governor Dayton has not been really engaged in helping set joint budget targets and is mostly absent in guiding the conference committees. I fear, and history has shown, that Governor Dayton wants to wait until the final days to make new demands and become engaged in the process. Expect a large number of vetoes, as he had publicly stated. We are prepared for this, are ahead of schedule and plan to put in very long hours in the final week to repackage a fiscally responsible budget. While I am hopeful we can have the Governor finally participate and agree on a budget, I would also not be surprised if he forces special session for political purposes. It’s been the way of the Dayton administration to negotiate. Nonetheless, I expect a long final week and weekend at the Capitol and remain committed to doing the work Minnesotans deserve and expect. The process is messy, but the work will get done. Below are important key points in a few important areas.
Education
We passed our education compromise that invests $1.14 billion in NEW education funding. With such great schools in Lakeville, it’s important to make sure our students and teachers have the resources they need to continue to succeed. In total, the bill includes $18.5 billion in funding which makes up 42% of our total current budget proposal.
Healthcare
Our health and human services bill was another important piece of legislation to pass this week. This bill prioritizes the most vulnerable in our state, and is geared toward helping children with disabilities, addressing the opioid epidemic, and funding mental health initiatives, among many other important initiatives.
Tax Relief
One of these joint bills passed this week would provide $1.15 billion in tax relief. I was happy to see that many of the most important provisions were kept in the bill during conference committee. These include $218 million in relief for Minnesota seniors, a credit for working families, and assistance to small businesses here in Lakeville and around the state.
Transportation Bill
As you know, I am a part of the conference committee on our transportation bill. The bill that we agreed on with the Senate would invest $2 billion in our transportation needs in the next two years WITHOUT raising gas taxes. Our focus is on roads and bridges, but we also included funding to ensure we still have efficient bus transit. The issues of light rail funding continues to be controversial, yet we need to put the state back in charge of transportation planning. Our bill utilizes current taxes over new taxes to invest in transportation throughout the state. I have been very committed to working on a plan that improves the overall system of roads and bridges and busses in this state. Last year the bonding and transportation bills broke up the over light rail funding and insistence on raising taxes. It would be helpful if those who claim to advocate for a transportation package would support using existing revenue as our plan does. Even Governor Dayton has indicated that we don’t need a gas tax. We are hopeful and will continue the effort to get a transportation bill signed.
Again, please get outside and celebrate a mom in your life. I’m looking forward to celebrating with Patty and the girls. Happy Mother’s Day!
Jon Koznick
State Representative, Lakeville