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State Representative Pam Myhra
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4212
For more information contact: House GOP Communications 651-296-5520
Session Update
Email Update
Dear Friends,
I am pleased to give you an update on my first chief-authored bill, House File (HF) 638, A-F Grading of Schools and School Districts. My bill was included in the Education Omnibus bill, HF 934. The proposal is modeled after the highly successful Florida Formula to evaluate schools and school districts based on student proficiency and learning growth. The initiative is incentivized with financial awards to schools receiving an A grade, improving one or more letter grades in the previous year, or improving two or more grade levels in the preceding two years. In Florida this reform generated collaboration among teachers, parents, administration and school boards resulting in remarkable learning gains for all student groups. Here are two examples: In 2009, Florida African American 4th grade students scored 29 points higher on reading tests than their counterpart in Minnesota, and the Florida Hispanic students outscored or tied the test averages of 31 states. This reform, with its proven results, provides hope—a hope for a stronger, better educational system to prepare our children to achieve their dreams.
Last Tuesday night, March 29th, I advocated for my bill’s reform on the House floor. To view clips of my presentation, please click here and here.
Last week was a very busy week on the House floor working through some major bills of the state budget. Here is a quick overview:
• The Tax bill, HF 42, reduces the first and second tax brackets, giving all taxpayers a break. The Tax bill also encourages job growth and investment in Minnesota through increasing research and development credits, and by making the sales tax exemption on capital equipment an up-front exemption.
• The Transportation bill, HF 1140, makes modest administrative funding reductions, eliminates the passenger rail office, reduces total transit operating funds at the Met Council by 10 percent, and makes modest increases in funding for roads and bridges.
• The Education bill, HF 934, delivers on its “Kids first, no excuses, no exceptions” mission by prioritizing funding while making aggressive reforms to K-12 education.
• The Environment bill, HF 1010, reduces spending by $65 million while maintaining the highest standards in air and water quality.
• The Higher Education bill, HF 1101, protects students from tuition increases while reducing spending for MnSCU schools and the U of M.
• The Agriculture bill, HF 1039, with overwhelming bi-partisan support, prioritizes funding for agriculture while maintaining the integrity of food standards.
• The Public Safety/Judiciary bill, HF 958, protects our court system while increasing prison sentences for predatory sex offenders.
Thank you to all who attended my Day at the Capitol on Saturday, March 26th. Well over a hundred people attended. It was my pleasure to meet constituents, answer questions and provide a tour of my office and the Capitol building.
I will be voting on many important issues this session and would appreciate your input. If you haven’t already done so, would you please take a few minutes to complete my online 2011 Legislative survey? Just click here.
As always, thank you for following my legislative work.
Sincerely,
Pam
News Items
- Legislative Update (May 16, 2013) - (Posted: May 16 2013 1:49PM)
- Legislative Update (April 30, 2013) - (Posted: Apr 30 2013 5:06PM)
- Legislative Update (April 22, 2013) - (Posted: Apr 22 2013 4:34PM)
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