Dear Neighbors,
Hope that you are all enjoying these beautiful spring days. Over here at the Capitol we have a great deal of work left to do, with less than three weeks before our constitutionally mandated adjournment on May 23.
Going into this session, while we knew our time would be short, a $900 million budget surplus provided us some great opportunities to improve the lives of Minnesotans. While time is still left for us all to come together and compromise on important issues such as education, transportation, and tax relief – among others – the clock continues to tick. Unfortunately, I feel that the Omnibus Budget Bills, which passed the House last week, missed many opportunities to move Minnesota forward. Below are described a few important points on each of these massive bills.
E-12 and Higher Education
First, the E-12 and Higher Education budget area was given a net target of zero new dollars, but had some one-time spending funded by a projected $55 million of early repayments of loans by school districts. On a positive note, I was pleased that my amendment that provide more mental health training for our teachers so they can better refer children suffering from depression to the appropriate professionals was included, as was my bill to fund a pilot project that will assist struggling readers.
As we all know, as the cost of college has risen in Minnesota, so has student debt. Minnesota students graduate with the fifth highest average student debt loads in the nation. If our state wants to keep and attract young people to compete in an increasingly global economy, we need to address this issue quickly. Unfortunately, this pressing issue was not adequately addressed in the Higher Education portion of the bill, despite a $900 million surplus. The complete text of the bill can be found here.
Wonderful to have Hopkins School Board Chair Wendy Donovan and her daughter Katie visit me at the State Capitol!
Jobs, Agriculture and Environment
The second budget bill contained Jobs, Agriculture, and Environment provisions, and this too was a package filled with missed opportunities. As we seek to ensure that Minnesota is economically competitive with the rest of the world, it was disheartening to see my colleagues across the aisle curb funding for the Job Creation and Minnesota Investment Funds. A number of businesses in our community have partnered with the state through these programs, and the result has been the creation of career jobs that pay well and provide a brighter future for a number of our community members.
Opportunities were also missed to build upon the progress made in the last biennium to bring MN to energy independence with investments in clean energy. MN is the only state in the forty-eight contiguous states that has no natural fossil fuel deposits within its borders, and we export several billion dollars annually in the purchase of fossil fuel for our energy use. The complete text of this bill can be found here.
Public Safety, Health and Human Services and State Government
The last bill was the combined Public Safety, Health and Human Services and State Government bill. Notably left out of this package was urgent funding toward upgrading our cyber security tools. An increasing number of attempts are being made to compromise our state IT infrastructure, which includes sensitive data on Minnesotans. Unfortunately, this bill only funded a study on the bill, which I feel is unnecessary. It’s time to take action to ensure this data stays out of the wrong hands and our vital government operations continue, unimpeded by hackers.
Also missing from the bill was a firm five percent raise for workers who care for those in group homes and other community settings. High turnover because of low pay creates real issues for those least able to cope with constant change, our elderly and those with disabilities. The complete text of this bill can be found here.
Other important work remains. A compromise on a comprehensive transportation package has yet to be reached, and the House/Senate conference committee charged with that task has just begun meeting. I remain committed to a solution which solves our infrastructure needs, including roads, bridges, and transit (including overdue funding of the Southwest Light Rail line).
Also, a bonding bill which funds capital improvements of our state assets such as our higher education institutions, parks and trails, and wastewater infrastructure has yet to be seen in the House.
Finally, agreement on addressing the “REAL ID” implementation is necessary. I support the Senate's approach on this, with a dual track allowing those who want the REAL ID license (necessary for airplane travel and access to various secured facilities) to obtain that form of ID, while those who wish to continue to receive the traditional Minnesota license are able to do so.
For my part I will continue to reach across the aisle to get the work of the people done. To stay up to date with what is happening at the Capitol, I invite you to take advantage of the resources provided by nonpartisan House Public Information Services. Each day, they provide summaries of House floor sessions and committee activity, as well as an archive of a great deal of video. Please visit them online here.
As always, I welcome your thoughts on these and any other topic of importance to you. Please feel free to call or email me any time with your questions, comments, and concerns.
Best Regards,
Yvonne Selcer
State Representative