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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Barb Yarusso (DFL)

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Legislative Update - March 24, 2016

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Dear Neighbors,

The 2016 Legislative Session is already in its third week. With an abbreviated session this year, lasting just about 10 weeks, a great deal of heavy lifting remains to be done in regard to the major priorities in front of us. These include a bonding bill to fund capital improvements of our state assets, a transportation bill to improve our roads, bridges, and transit systems, and a bill providing property tax relief to homeowners, seniors, and renters.

Town Hall Meeting

I’d like to remind you about the Town Hall Meeting coming up on Saturday, April 2 at 1:00 p.m. at Shoreview City Hall hosted by Rep. Jason Isaacson, Sen. Bev Scalze, and me. We will be joined by special guest Myron Frans, Commissioner of Minnesota Management and Budget, who will share his insights into the financing of state government. The event is free and open to the public; I hope you will join us.

What: Town Hall Meeting to discuss the Minnesota state budget

Who: Rep. Barb Yarusso, Rep. Jason Isaacson, Sen. Bev Scalze, Commissioner Myron Frans

When: Saturday, April 2 from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Where: Shoreview City Hall (Council Chambers), 4600 Victoria St. N, Shoreview, 55126

Office of the Legislative Auditor

The Legislature has an important tool at its disposal to ensure state government agencies and programs are fulfilling their missions and using state resources wisely. Since 1973, theOffice of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) has served as an independent “watchdog” working to promote accountability, provide oversight, and enhance program effectiveness in state government. The OLA annually provides 40-50 financial audits of individual agencies and other organizations in the executive and judicial branches of state government, and 6-8 “program evaluations;” in-depth examinations which typically take upwards of six months to complete.

Recently, several of these program evaluations have garnered significant attention, and with that, movements toward reform.

One of the recent OLA reports presents an evaluation of our state teacher licensure system. This is a system that I have worked to improve during my time at the Legislature. The OLA was particularly critical of the division of responsibility for teacher licensure between the Board of Teaching and the Department of Education and the system’s lack of transparency and consistency. There is bipartisan support for fixing these problems. However, the problems identified are too complex and intertwined to fix in this session. I look forward to working on it over the interim.

Other evaluations have determined MnDOT’s highway project selection process to be nontransparent, mental health services in county jails to be inadequate, and “serious ethical issues and numerous conflicts of interest” at the University of Minnesota Department of Psychiatry.” Just last week, in a high profile report the OLA concluded oversight of loans and grants of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRRB) is inadequate.

The Legislative Audit Commission’s Topic Selection Committee is wrapping up work selecting which agencies and projects will be evaluated in the coming year. The OLA is a nonpartisan, nonpolitical resource invaluable to our efforts to improve the operation of state government.

Bonding Bill

During each even year of a biennium, the Legislature traditionally considers a bonding bill to fund capital improvements of our public infrastructure. Projects typically included are part of our higher education institutions, transit systems, parks and trails, certain roads and bridges, correctional facilities, and wastewater systems, just to name a few. Prior to session, requests totaling $3.7 billion were submitted - $2.7 billion from state agencies and about $1 billion from local units of government. You can see the details of these proposals as well as Governor Dayton’s bonding recommendations at Minnesota Management and Budget’s website here. Additionally, House Public Information Services has a map of the proposals here.

It appears that the bonding bill will likely be in the neighborhood of $800 million – $1 billion. I’ll be working to secure funding for the Rice St. Bridge, highway construction through Rice Creek Commons (TCAAP), and a new Emergency Operations Center for the Department of Public Safety in Arden Hills. It’s also important to note that a bonding bill is constitutionally required to receive a super majority of 60 percent in both the House and Senate in order to pass, so bipartisan votes will be required.

I encourage you to contact me with your thoughts, opinions, and concerns about issues important to you. I also ask for your patience in advance if you are scheduled for an appointment or trying to reach me by phone. With the short session, we are already at the point of crowded calendars and last-minute schedule changes. Please feel free to email me any time atrep.barb.yarusso@house.mn or call me at 651-296-0141.

Sincerely,

Barb Yarusso

State Representative

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