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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
First-term DFL legislators to meet with Austin residents Education Summit this Sunday
There is a very public debate going on statewide about how to fund public education. School Districts and communities are struggling to make some very difficult decisions, facing teacher lay-offs, larger classroom numbers, fewer electives and programs and even some closures.
The Governor's budget proposal once again places a lot of the burden for funding education on property taxes. Some communities take the position that they will raise taxes to whatever level is necessary to take care of their schools while other communities cannot afford one more property tax increase. This has the potential of separating our districts into the haves and have-nots. If we truly care about providing a quality education to all of our students, we need to find an equitable way to fund schools without relying on property tax increases.
The DFL first-term legislators have made education funding one of our top priorities. We have introduced numerous pieces of legislation that we believe will not only improve the quality of public education but that will also address the inadequacies and inequalities of funding.
Please join us in Austin this Sunday, April 10, from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. at the Austin High School auditorium. Several first-term legislators will be present to get your feedback and hear your suggestions on what we need to do to continue Minnesota's history of excellence in education.
Bonding Bill passes
In a final show of bipartisanship, the House passed the Bonding Bill last Wednesday. It was an interesting day, with much discussion and several delays, but in the early evening hours the vote was called for and the bill was passed. It moved to the Senate that same night, where they were waiting for it and passed it quickly. The Governor is expected to sign the bill into law on Monday.
This is good news for our entire state. It is estimated that as many as 10,000 jobs will be created, and projects that have been held up for more than a year can be started. The $945 million dollar jobs bill includes almost $90 million for transportation projects, including local road improvements and bridge replacements. There is over $96 million designated for environmental related projects, such as wastewater infrastructure grants and loans, development of parks and trails, reforestation projects and CREP funding.
Higher Education also will benefit from this bonding bill. MnSCU campuses statewide are designated to receive over $41 million, with another $40 million going to U of M campuses. Other projects include funding for prison expansion and improvements, bioscience development, tornado damage repair and supportive housing loans.
There were no changes made to our funding, giving our area over $37 million. We are very fortunate that members of the Conference Committee and the Governor recognized our need and the significance of our projects and included them for funding.
Please feel free to call or write if you have ideas or concerns you want to share about state or local issues. I can be reached by phone at 1-888-682-3180 or 1-651-296-4193, by mail at 231 State Office Building, 100 Martin Luther King Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155 or via e-mail at the above address. If you are interested in receiving my e-newsletter, please email me at rep.jeanne.poppe@house.mn 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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