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State Representative Jeanne Poppe
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4193
For more information contact: Sandy Connolly 651-296-8877
NEWS COLUMN
HOUSE ENTERS FINAL STRETCH OF 2007 LEGISLATIVE SESSION
The legislative work being done by the Minnesota House of Representatives has entered the final stretch of the 2007 Legislative session, which is scheduled to end on May 21st. We have spent the majority of our time up until now in committees, where we have considered and taken action on hundreds of bills. Some of these have already moved to the House floor for a vote, many with regional or specific district impact, and some with statewide impact – such as the Federal Conformity Bill and Renewable Energy Standard.
The Federal Conformity Bill brings our state tax system into conformity with federal tax changes that were made after the end of the last session. This bill will provide over $25 million in tax relief for college students and their families, teachers and combat veterans.
The Renewable Energy Standard of 25 percent by 2025 will help make our state more energy independent, reduce global warming emissions, create jobs and attract millions of investment dollars to Minnesota. This legislation is especially significant for outstate Minnesota, which will benefit from the development of alternative fuels such as ethanol, currently produced from corn, and the new field of cellulosic fuels, created from agricultural products such as grasses. Both of these bills have been signed into law by the Governor.
The majority of the bills, however, are rolled into comprehensive omnibus bills, which contain policy and funding components for areas such as education, health care, transportation and property tax relief, among others. As each omnibus bill is completed, it moves to the Finance Committee, on which I serve. Here the bill is presented by its House author, and amended and passed by the Finance Committee. After Finance they go to the Tax Committee for consideration of any tax implications, and then on to the Ways and Means Committee, where the fiscal component is considered in light of the overall budget target numbers. Once they are approved by this final committee, they move to the House floor for a vote by every member.
In order to complete the work of this session in a timely manner, we will need to pass each of the omnibus bills in the next week or two. After the bills are passed by the House, they will be sent to a Conference Committee, where conferees from both the House and the Senate will reconcile the two versions of the bill. Finally, the bill will be sent to the Governor for either his signature, or his veto.
One of the omnibus bills to be heard is the Agriculture, Rural Economies and Veterans Affairs bill. This legislation focuses on increased support and development of renewable fuels, as well as providing assistance for some of the 3,000 Minnesota service members set to return from Iraq, Afghanistan and other overseas deployments. The bill, which includes initiatives from the Governor and members of both parties, passed out of committee with unanimous support.
Highlights of the veterans' initiatives in the bill include:
· Funding for suicide prevention and psychological support for returning combat veterans.
· Increased funding for Veterans County Service Officer assistance grants to enhance programs provided to veterans.
· Increased funding for Veteran's outreach, including tribal veterans service offices.
· Assistance for WWII memorial celebration (June 9th).
In addition, the bill increases the state's overall funding for agriculture, including best management practices loans for agriculture, ag-related clean water research, invasive species monitoring and control, organic certification cost share, MN Grown promotion, and county and district ag societies (county fairs).
Please feel free to contact me at any time - I can be reached by phone at 1-888-682-3180 or 1-651-296-4193, by mail at 487 State Office Building, 100 Martin Luther King Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155 or via e-mail at rep.jeanne.poppe@house.mn. If you are interested in receiving my session e-newsletter, please email me and your name will be added to our list.
News Items
- POPPE SELECTED AS AGRICULTURE POLICY COMMITTEE CHAIR - (Posted: 2012-11-16 00:00:00)
- Rep. Jeanne Poppe Encourages High School Juniors to Apply for Minnesota House of Representatives Page Program - Application Deadline is November 19th - (Posted: 2012-11-12 00:00:00)
- HORMEL INSTITUTE EXPANSION SIGNED INTO LAW - 2012 legislative session adjourns sine die - (Posted: 2012-05-11 00:00:00)
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