Dear Neighbors,
The House and Senate have approved their respective budget bills. The Legislature is now focused on finding compromise between the differences within each chamber’s budget proposals. I’ve been sitting in on the House/Senate committee meetings with my colleagues to ensure smart investments in education and health care are included in negotiations. |
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Education
I am concerned about the vast differences between the House and Senate’s education budgets. The House invests in students with an increase to the per-pupil formula by 3% in 2020, and another 2% in 2021. The Senate GOP dedicates inadequate 0.5% increases over these two years. |
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| ISD #196 has the third-worst special education ‘cross subsidy,’ or underfunding in the state, totaling $29 million. If we don’t make the investments our students of special needs rely on, this will inevitably lead to programming cuts, teacher and aide layoffs, and larger class sizes. Bottom line: All of our kids of all abilities deserve a world-class education and inaction now will inevitably lead to devastating cuts that hurt future opportunities. |
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| It was an honor to welcome ISD #196 teachers to the Capitol. |
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Health and Human Services
Deep slashes to health care proposed by the Senate Majority are unacceptable. The House proposes bold initiatives within our health and human services budget. Our plan would ensure Minnesotans can access the medications they count on by prohibiting prescription drug price gouging, increasing transparency, and enables folks to access an emergency supply of insulin if they can’t afford to fill their prescription. These are not radical ideas. Senate Republicans’ solution is to cut essential care for doctor visits and dental care for over half a million Minnesotans.
You can read more about the differences between House and Senate budget plans here.
New Legislation
I’m working on a bill that would cap paid leave for public employees with pending investigations for misconduct, malfeasance, and crimes. Kare11 covered the story and you can learn more about the proposal here.
Keep in Touch
Please continue to reach out with questions and feedback. Don’t hesitate to let me know if I can provide any assistance.
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
John |
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