Dear Neighbors,
As you may recall, last month Governor Dayton vetoed three of our bipartisan budget bills, forcing a special legislative session. After weeks of further negotiations, he finally agreed to terms on the education, environment and agriculture, and jobs and energy bills, calling a special session last Friday, June 12. The House and Senate reconvened to debate and pass these budget bills along with two more relating to legacy and bonding.
Many of the bills we sent to the governor last month were not dramatically altered in special session. Perhaps the most notable change was $125 million in additional funding for E-12 education. This funding helps increase the per pupil funding formula by 2 percent for both 2016 and 2017, ensuring more dollars are in every classroom.
What's more, Governor Dayton did not receive his funding request for universal pre-kindergarten, but there is an additional $95 million in targeted early learning scholarships and school readiness aid for our littlest learners. Finally, Republican-led teacher licensure reform to help address the Greater Minnesota teacher shortage is still in the bill.
Next, the agriculture and environment omnibus bill includes a number of great reforms, including an initiative I spearheaded relating to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Citizens' Board. Another issue I authored this session included in this legislation is a feasibility study of having the state do 404 permitting instead of the Army Corps of Engineers which experiences many lengthy and costly delays. Additionally, for Northwest Minnesota there is a new grant program for cities with populations under 45,000 to incentivize single stream and other recycling programs. Finally, for farmers in our poultry industry, there is an additional $23 million for state agencies to help respond and combat the avian flu.
Also, important to note, Governor Dayton's buffer zone proposal is included in the bill, but not at the 50-feet he requested. Instead, there will be better enforcement of 16.5-foot buffer zones on all public ditches, which is already current law, and additional funding will go to Soil and Water Conservation Districts to ensure local control and oversight.
Third, the jobs and energy bill repassed the House and Senate which includes another issue I have been working on for several sessions—net metering. This is great news for our rural and municipal electric co-ops in Northwest Minnesota and will help cut ratepayer-funded handouts to special solar power interests.
Additionally, the jobs bill also includes funding for broadband grants, propane pre-buy, job training grants and one of my top legislative priorities—workforce housing. It also spends $24 million less than last biennium, helping to save hard-earned taxpayer dollars.
Finally, as part of the special session agreement, there was a bonding bill which includes:
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$27 million for two facilities that will help our state combat avian flu and other emerging animal diseases
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$33 million for State Capitol renovations
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$10 million for wastewater infrastructure
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$32 million for transportation projects
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$23 million for flood prevention and disaster relief which will benefit the Red River Valley
Overall, I am pleased with the bipartisan work we did this session. We made Greater Minnesota a strong priority, bringing government reform and targeted projects to our communities. Next session, I hope we can continue our work for Greater Minnesota, passing a tax relief bill that will benefit folks in our area, as well as a transportation bill that focuses on improving our local roads and bridges.
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My door is always open to the needs and priorities of our area. Please feel free to let me know if I can be of assistance to you and your family. I am here to serve you!
Dan
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