Dear Friends,
Thursday night Governor Dayton called a special session, and all day Friday and into the early morning hours Saturday the legislature convened in Saint Paul to wrap up work on the 2016-2017 budget. I am disappointed that the Governor forced this special session by vetoing bipartisan budget bills, but am glad we were able to finish up our work today and provide certainty to the nearly 10,000 state workers who would have been affected by a government shutdown.
Today we passed six bills: the Education bill, the Agriculture and Environment Bill, the Jobs and Energy bill, a small bonding bill, the Legacy bill, and a technical corrections bill to make minor technical fixes to previous legislation.
Some highlights:
Education
This bill will mean:
-$525 million in increased funding and historic investments in early learning programs and scholarships.
-More local control and flexibility.
-65% of funding goes to basic education funding that allows schools the greatest flexibility in programming. 2% annual increases in the basic education formula will help every student across the state for the biennium. Lakeville schools joins Burnsville and Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan in the Q-Comp program funding.
-Early childhood got a big boost (60%) in school readiness aid and scholarships that preserve parent choice for our littlest learners who are most at risk. We also passed policies that reduce state mandated testing to allow for more instructional time and streamline teacher licensure to help address our teacher shortage.
-We passed concurrent enrollment options so students can get the PSEO credits without having to leave their high school community or take one high-stakes tests for college credit. This passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in the House, and will help students save money on higher education in the long run.
Jobs and Energy
-$1.7 million for Host Community Grants that helps economic development in Burnsville.
-Funding for employment services including people with mental illness.
-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.
-MNVest also known as crowd funding allows businesses to accrue capital by selling securities. This is a big boost for aspiring small businesses and entrepreneurs.
-Funding for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) student internships and investments at Dakota County Technical College.
-Reduces spending overall.
Environment and Agriculture
-Full funding for the Dakota County landfill fund. I worked with the MPCA to ensure that this program was properly funded using surplus dollars and that a responsible plan was put in place to protect taxpayers.
-Funding for agencies fighting avian flu.
-Streamlining onerous permitting regulations while still respecting the need for proper environmental review.
-Reduces spending overall.
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.roz.peterson@house.mn or call 651-296-5387.
Have a great weekend,
Roz Peterson
State Representative District 56B