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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Julie Sandstede (DFL)

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Legislative Update - March 10, 2017

Friday, March 10, 2017

Dear Neighbors,

This week has been perhaps the busiest one yet since the session started, with floor sessions each day Monday through Thursday and frequent committee hearings, with some meeting more than once per day and sizable agendas.

VPSEO

House Image

 

Monday I joined some of my colleagues as well as educators from around the state to announce an initiative aimed at providing Minnesota high school students more opportunities for technical and vocational training. This proposal, dubbed the Vocational Postsecondary Enrollment Option (VPSEO), would create a one year pilot program where ten Minnesota high schools (at least three in greater Minnesota, three in the suburbs, and three in Minneapolis and St. Paul) would form partnerships with businesses to provide apprenticeships for students who would receive credit toward graduation. In turn, participating business would receive a tax credit up to $2,000, with a cap of $100,000 for those high schools in the program.

There are countless high-demand fields seeking qualified candidates for jobs, and this program will connect young people with valuable hands-on experience and open up job opportunities. This bill does so without causing competition between educational institutes for student dollars, but rather ‘whets the appetite’ for ongoing vocational and technical training. With cooperating businesses receiving a tax credit, this bill creates a true ‘win-win’ situation.

Committee Deadlines

Much of the fast pace here at the Capitol is because tonight at midnightis the first committee deadline. This deadline, the first of three, is for committees to approve bills in their house of origin; meaning a bill must be heard in either the House or Senate to continue its legislative journey. The second deadline a week from today is for committees to act favorably on bills, or companions of bills, that met the first deadline in the other body; meaning the bills that survived the first deadline must be heard in the other body. The third and final deadline is on March 31, and is for committees to act favorably on major budget bills.

The House Capital Investment, Ways and Means, and Taxes Committees are exempt from committee deadlines, and the Rules Committee is able to waive deadlines for bills on an individual basis. With 2,327 bills introduced in the House so far this session, and the Minnesota Constitution requiring us to wrap up work by May 22, these deadlines are necessary to narrow the number of bills under consideration and prioritize our work on those measures which may see the light of day.

Capitol Essay Contest

In January, the Minnesota State Capitol reopened to the public following a multiyear restoration. An official Grand Opening celebration will be held this summer, and as part of this, Minnesota students are invited to enter an essay contest. In this contest, students have the opportunity to describe in their own words what their State Capitol means to them andhow it has shaped our collective past and will impact future generations.

Winners of the essay contest in the three categories (elementary school, middle school, and high school) will be invited to share their essays during the grand opening festivities during the weekend of August 11-13, 2017. They will also be awarded $1,000 toward a Minnesota College Savings Plan. For more details, visit the Lt. Governor’s website here and feel free to pass this along to any teachers you know so they can make students aware of the opportunity, too.

As I keep working at the Capitol to seek common ground on solutions to important topics such as jobs, education, and infrastructure, I hope you will keep in touch with your feedback. Feel free to call me or email me any time; it’s an honor to represent you in St. Paul.

Sincerely,

Julie Sandstede

State Representative