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Hello!
The Minnesota House has completed our initial budget work, finalizing our proposals that would keep Minnesota funded for the next two years. The DFL House’s Minnesota Values Budget is a culmination of the priorities Minnesotans have shared with us all over the state, resulting in strong and sensible investments. In the remaining days of session, we’ve been putting our proposals up against those of the Senate. Here are some of the highlights of the DFL House budget:
E-12 Education
The E-12 Education budget is inspired by parents, students, teachers, staff, and administrators who told legislators how growing class sizes and budget cuts have impacted the quality of instruction, support, and education in schools.
Schools all over the state will see per-pupil funding increases, with Shakopee Public Schools seeing a $561 increase per student. That’s just part of the $7.2 million in additional funds Shakopee Public Schools would see from the House budget over the next two years. We’re adequately funding schools so that they can hire additional support staff such as licensed counselors, psychologists, social workers, and nurses. We’ve also taken steps to address decades of special education funding shortfalls, ensuring that the state steps up for the mandates it places on school districts.
This budget also includes legislation of ours that funds transportation for pregnant and parenting students, another example of how our budget takes on the disparities our students are facing and offers solutions.
Health and Human Services
For too long drug companies have brought in record profits as Minnesotans struggle to afford their medication. We’re fighting to make sure the state of Minnesota is leveraging its purchasing power to lower drug prices, and to ensure that those who can’t afford their life-saving medication have access to those drugs.
Our budget for Health and Human Services (HHS) reduces the skyrocketing prices of prescription drugs by holding Big Pharma accountable, protects our elders and most vulnerable adults from abuse and neglect, takes serious action to address the surge in youth tobacco use, and overall expands access to affordable health care.
Agriculture
Minnesota’s agricultural economy is vast and varied, and the investments we’ve made reflect that. It was my honor to serve on the Ag committee and take part in crafting its budget this session. As is the nature of all budgets, some truly great ideas don’t make the cut, but I’m confident we put together a bill that will innovate and support Minnesota’s food and agricultural industries for the next few years.
We’ve allocated money for farmer mental health services, established the state’s hemp industry, improved food access at all levels, and provided policies & resources to deal with Chronic Wasting Disease. You can take a look at a more in-depth spreadsheet of the proposed investments in the bill here.
And so much more!
Minnesotans deserve a state budget that lifts us up, invests in our communities, stands by our values, and protects our most vulnerable. It’s not perfect, but the House DFL budget is one that builds a better Minnesota, and we’ll be working hard to stand by these provisions and more as we continue to negotiate with the Senate in our final days:
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A tuition freeze for Minnesota’s public colleges and universities
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Tax reform that provides actual reform for Minnesotans, including tax cuts for seniors and working families, and tax credits for farmers, small businesses, and veterans
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Paid Family & Medical Leave and Earned Sick & Safe Time, allowing Minnesotans to take time off to care for their children, family members, and themselves
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Wage Theft Prevention, which would ensure Minnesota’s workers are given an hour's pay for an hour's work, and holding accountable those who deny workers their wages
Conference Committees - Transportation
A majority of the negotiations over components of Minnesota’s budget are done in conference committees. Conference committees are made up of House and Senate members who are assigned to a specific budget area. The proposals from each chamber are compared, and their differences are negotiated until committee members craft consensus legislation that is sent back to the House and Senate for final approval before being passed on to Governor Walz.
This session I’m extremely grateful to serve on the Transportation conference committee.
Minnesotans expect our roads and bridges to be safe and efficient, but too much of our transportation infrastructure has been ignored for too long. In the House, we crafted an honest budget that’s making significant and sustainable investments in our community, which would include funding for an extra lane on Highway 169, a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line to Shakopee, and part of the state-wide $45 million in new funds for township bridges.
Stay In Touch
As always, I want to hear from you. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or comments you might have on the legislative process. You can reach me at (651) 296-8872, or rep.brad.tabke@house.mn. For more on what we’re working on at the State Capitol and in our community, subscribe and listen to The Shakopee Podcast, available on itunes.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Brad
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