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State Representative Mary Franson
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-3201
For more information contact: House GOP Communications 651-296-5520
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
News From Representative Franson
I wanted to send you an update on the final budget bills as they were signed by the governor last week. Although this budget was not perfect it puts us on the path to reform. Steering this ship in the right direction will take some time, but I believe that with wise and strong leadership the future of Minnesota will be bright for our children and grandchildren.
The Education bill totals $13.6 billion in spending which is a 14-percent increase from the last budget. The policy and reform initiatives would create new teacher and principal evaluation plans; repeals mandates; sunsets integration aid funding in 2013 and sets up a plan to replace it with something more effective. It also contains pilot program grants to help large schools with funding equity.
In the Environment & Energy bill spending totaled $252 million, a 19-percent reduction from the previous budget. Some policy and reform changes include streamlining the five authorities the state uses to manage water programs and it also gets the DNR out of the private nursery business. In my opinion there is still some wasteful spending that took place in this bill but like I said, this budget isn't perfect.
The Health & Human Services budget spends $11.3 billion, a large portion of the budget, and will see an 11.1-percent increase compared to the previous budget. Some of the policy and reform initiatives include: eliminating the provider tax completely by 2019; giving low-income adults without children the chance to buy private coverage instead of enrolling in a state program; EBT and welfare reform; providing more flexibility to find the best care available through waivers. I worked hard to make sure that EBT and welfare reform were a part of the budget. It is important to make sure that taxpayer dollars are being used wisely. No longer will a person with an EBT card be able to buy alcohol and cigarettes. If they get caught abusing the program, they will be kicked off and not be able to use the EBT card anymore.
In the Higher Education budget we spent $2.6 billion, a 13-percent reduction compared to the last budget. A few of the reforms include: setting performance benchmarks for schools to achieve before they receive their complete funding. It also caps tuition at 2-year colleges; increases funding for the Work Study Program; and maintains funding for Postsecondary Child Care grants. Going forward I would like to see Alex Tech get more funding for the programs that are offered. Alex tech has an amazing Machine Tool Technology program and it's critical they get the funding to continue graduating students in this field. Many of our local businesses depend on the graduates of this program and top notch training is key.
The Public Safety budget is important to our citizens and spends $1.8 billion, which is only a 2.7-percent reduction from the last biennium. The policy portions of this bill include: raises co-pays for inmates’ health care visits; prioritizes state cases over federal cases for civil legal services and treats juveniles sold into prostitution as victims rather than criminals.
Under the State Government bill we spent $905 million, a 2-percent increase from last biennium, but does include many needed reforms that will help government to be more effective. This bill allows for technology consolidation as well as reducing job classes and implements a 6-percent workforce reduction. It also provides for gain-sharing for state employees who develop ideas that save money and the bill also audits the state employees’ health care program and develops a pay-for-performance review for state employees. We need to hold our government accountable and making it more efficient should be a part of this bill. A big part of this bill is the Sunset Commission. Commissions will now have to explain why they are needed and explain the value they bring. If it is found that the commission is no longer needed it will simply sunset.
The Taxes budget spends $2.9 billion which includes a 4.9-percent reduction from the last budget. We were able to accomplish this budget with no tax increases. Many good reforms were put into this bill, some of which maintains the increase in the Property Tax Refund, it also freezes and reduces some of local government aid at the 2010 levels. This bill also provides incentives to attract technology data centers; adds federal taxes to the Tax Incidence Study.
Transportation spending was set at $125.6 million, a 25-percent reduction from last budget. Most transportation spending is done in dedicated funds paid for by gas taxes, motor vehicle taxes, etc. A number of the cuts are to the metro area. Some would require transit planners to estimate capital and operating costs for new rail lines.
Next year is titled Reform 2.0. I want to hear what reform ideas you may have so that next year we can redesign government and lower costs and increase transparency. One of my reform ideas is tax reform. Tax the Rich mantra is getting old - I do believe the playing field needs to be leveled out but do not agree with just relying on the top 2%.
Facebook Town Hall chats have been going well. I’d like to thank those of you who have participated. For those of you who are interested - look for the group titled Representative Mary Franson. I will continue hosting Town Hall chats during the interim.
For those who would like my cell phone number, it is: 320.304.4001 and my home number is 320.762.8572. I look forward to hearing from you.
Have a great week!
Mary
News Items
- Legislative Update (May 24, 2013) - (Posted: May 24 2013 2:09PM)
- Legislative Update (May 17, 2013) - (Posted: May 17 2013 1:48PM)
- Legislative Update (May 10, 2013) - (Posted: May 10 2013 4:06PM)
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