Dear Friends,
About an hour ago, the House passed the remainder of our budget bills, concluding a one-day special session called Thursday evening by Governor Dayton. While I was disappointed that the Governor vetoed budget bills that were the result of bipartisan compromise, I'm glad we finished up our work today and helped provide certainty to state workers who were potentially facing layoffs, and passed bills that will improve education, streamline and reform burdensome regulations, and provides assistance to our Greater Minnesota neighbors who have been hurt by layoffs on the Iron Range and by the avian flu epidemic.
Here are some highlights from the budget bills that passed:
Education
-$525 million in increased funding and historic investments in early learning programs and scholarships.
-$435 in increased per-pupil funding for Anoka-Hennepin Schools. This is higher than the state average thanks to additional compensatory funding
that was included in the final bill.
-Reductions in state-mandated testing
Jobs and Energy
-Respects taxpayers by reducing overall spending
-Unemployment assistance for poultry workers impacted by avian flu and steelworkers impacted by layoffs on the Iron Range
-Job training to help train Minnesotans for highly skilled, better-paying job openings
-Funding for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) student internships
Environment and Agriculture
-Funding for state agencies fighting avian flu
-Streamlining and reforming environmental regulations and red tape while respecting the need for proper environmental review
-Reduces overall spending
Please email me with any comments or questions on these or any of the other bills that have passed. Reach me any time by email at rep.mark.uglem@house.mn or call 651-296-5513.
Have a great weekend,
Mark Uglem
State Representative District 36A