Dear Neighbors,
I hope this email finds you well as in St. Paul, we have just over three weeks left in the legislative session. Conference Committees are meeting to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of the various budget bills. Once this happens and the House and Senate can agree, Gov. Dayton, who released his own budget proposal earlier in the session, will be able to weigh in. For my part, I remain committed to pushing for a budget that prioritizes the key things that make our state great, like investments in our schools, quality and affordable health care, and good paying jobs, instead of massive tax giveaways to the wealthiest.
Because of this work, we are spending less time on the House Floor. With some exceptions, the legislation being considered by the entire House has been largely noncontroversial. For instance, yesterday, we passed a bill on a vote of 130-0 that gives children at least 10 years old the right to an attorney in the foster care system. The idea for this bill actually came from a 12 year old, named McKenna Ahrenholz, for whom the bill is named. House Public Information summarized the bill here.
What’s also important to note is what is not being considered yet this session. I’ve previously spoken about the need to pass a bonding bill this session, investing in infrastructure improvements throughout the state. Here on the Range, I’ve pushed for projects like colocation of the Arrowhead Equal Opportunity Agency and the Range Mental Health Center, the Northeast Minnesota Water Supply System, gap funding for Highway 53, and renovations at the Miners Memorial Building in Virginia.
Unfortunately, the House Republican Majority has yet to even propose a bonding bill. As you may remember, last session they waited until the very last minute of the session to put one on the table, without an opportunity for public input, much less for legislators to review it before voting on it. This led to a chaotic end of session, which frankly cannot be repeated.
Higher education institutions, rail grade crossings, wastewater treatment plants, our correctional facilities and more all have unmet needs, and the longer we wait to address them, the more costly they become. With interest rates potentially set to climb, we cannot continue to push these off. Instead of waiting to use a bonding bill as a bargaining chip for the end of session – it takes a bipartisan, 3/5 supermajority to pass one – the time to get working on this is now.
I remain hopeful that the session can end on time, and produce results that create opportunities for working families. Know that I’ll keep fighting for a budget that benefits school kids, seniors, and our economy. Feel free to call me or send me an email with whatever is on your mind as we head into these final weeks.
Sincerely,
Jason Metsa
State Representative