Dear Neighbors,
The first two weeks of the 2016 Legislative Session are in the books. Perhaps unsurprisingly, we are already seeing some signs of gridlock and little substantive progress has been made on the important issues we all came to St. Paul to solve. With just a 10 week legislative session this year, I had expected a greater sense of urgency and at least some appetite for compromise. We have a large to-do list; hopefully the atmosphere can improve.
Unemployment Insurance
On the first day of the session, especially considering conversations I had with those on the other side of the aisle, we were expected to pass a clean bill extending unemployment insurance benefits for laid-off steelworkers on the Iron Range. Due to idling operations at the taconite mines, over 2,000 of these workers have been without a paycheck for quite some time. Some haven’t had any family income since November.
A bill providing these benefits passed last week, but the House Majority insisted on adding a provision to cut unemployment insurance premiums for businesses. While this provision may have some merit, it’s completely wrong to tie other subjects to a bill providing relief for an economic crisis like this. In fact, this is unprecedented. In the past, legislators have come together on a bipartisan basis to lend a helping hand to communities which have suffered from natural disasters such as floods and tornadoes, or situations like last year’s avian flu epidemic which destroyed much of our turkey population, without attaching other strings.
The community of Madelia is attempting to rebuild following the recent fire which devastated their Main Street last month. I simply can’t imagine what I’d think if other legislators were to try to hold up critical aid for that community in order to add unrelated topics for a “political win.” In the future, I’m going to explore options to modify the House Rules to ensure bills providing relief in these situations remain standalone measures.
Governor’s Supplemental Budget
Last week, Gov. Mark Dayton released his supplemental budget proposal for the state’s $900 million surplus. In his State of the State Address last week he previewed much of what we could expect, including many proposals to ensure Minnesota’s economy works for everyday Minnesotans.
I’m especially pleased he includes $100 million in broadband infrastructure in Greater Minnesota. In order to ensure our business and families can have a level playing field, communities need to be able to access high speed internet. Elsewhere in the budget he prioritizes families with an increase in the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit as well as the Working Family Tax Credit. He does this while maintaining a stable budget reserve so that we can be prepared if we have an economic downturn in the future. You can check out details of his proposal here.
As always, feel free to give me a call or send me an email with your comments or questions. I’d love to hear from you.
Have a great week.
Sincerely,
Jack Considine
State Representative