Dear Neighbor,
We are still awaiting word on when the special session will take place. It has been agreed that the State Office Building will be the site for both chambers to convene when we are called back.
Up to this point, all the special sessions I've been involved with have been one-issue situations and agreement was reached relatively quickly. This one is different because Gov. Dayton vetoed three separate bills, all of which need to be resolved.
The most challenging will be the education bill that was passed in a bipartisan fashion by both the House and Senate. The governor's insistence on funding for his pre-kindergarten initiative is the stumbling block to any agreement. That's curious because his plan to provide schooling for our state's four-year olds has not gotten much support. Several major newspapers have editorialized against it, and neither the House nor the Senate included it in their education bills.
I've listed all the reasons I have been opposed to the plan, including the lack of space in schools and the increased cost of adding yet another new program while many schools already are facing the prospect of layoffs. The governor has come out so strongly for his program it's going to be difficult for him to back down. And to many legislators, the proposal just doesn't make any sense so there is strong sentiment to continue saying "no" to it.
The environment/ag bill is another that Gov. Dayton took down with his veto pen. I think the ag portion was agreeable to all parties, but the governor decided that he couldn't support some of the policy provisions contained in the environment portion. The abolishment of the Citizens' Board of the MPCA , in particular, has drawn considerable interest. To my knowledge, this board is the only citizen board that has veto authority over the agency that oversees it. It's been in place for many years and, in that time, things have changed. We have many more environmental laws and regulations in the statute books today so the Citizen Board's veto power has been challenged.
Remember, again, the bill the governor vetoed was passed in bipartisan fashion after months of work and compromise. Those on the conference committee are working with the governor to come up with language that he can support and sign into law.
We are being told that progress is being made and we could be called back as early as next week. Nothing is set in stone, however, so stay tuned for the latest news from St. Paul.
Transportation projects are beginning to ramp up. I attended a public meeting in Alexandria earlier this week that gave folks an update on the Highway 29 four-lane and turn-about project just south of the freeway. It's going to take two years to complete, with the second year being the time workers will replace the bridge across Interstate 94. Work on the first phase will start on July 7, just after the big Fourth of July weekend.
Since session ended, I've tried to finish up with my spring planting. However, it's amazing how quickly we can go from being too dry to being too wet. I have some heavy ground on the farm where I live, and it just doesn't want to dry out enough to allow the planting of soybeans. Areas going up side hills are especially soft, and I've been stuck with the planter more times than I care to admit. My wife is becoming adept at pulling me out after I've gotten bogged down. I think it's helped us bond together!
That's all for now. We will have updates when more is learned about the timing of the special session.
Sincerely,
Paul