Neighbors:
We're in the final weeks of the 2017 Legislative Session. Conference Committee Reports—which are produced after House and Senate conferees meet and reconcile the differences between the House and Senate bills—have been posted and negotiations between the Governor and Leadership has begun. The conference committee reports are troublesome to me for many reasons. As you may know, the Minnesota Legislature operates on a biennium—a two-year cycle. The first year of the cycle (this year) is a budget year and next year we focus on policy.
This year, negotiations should be about the state budget. How much to invest, cut, adjust etc. What's most troubling about the omnibus bills is how much policy is contained in them—policy that shouldn't be in budget bills and policy that Governor Dayton has explicitly said would make these bills dead on arrival. For example: the Public Safety Omnibus Bill should include budgeting for our courts, public defenders, bomb squads, criminal investigation analysts, correction officers, and security upgrades at correctional facilities. It should not include policy language about private prisons. By including controversial policy language in a budget bill, Republicans are attempting to hold necessary dollars to keep our nursing homes, schools, justice system and higher education institutions hostage in order to negotiate shifts in policies that they desire.
Policy should be debated issue by issue in the legislature, not stuffed into bills we must pass to keep Minnesota running. Additionally, the negotiations for the final conference committee reports happened behind closed doors and without input from legislators, let alone the public.
The high volume of contact legislators have been receiving from engaged citizens IS making an impact as these budget proposals take their final shape. In addition to talking to constituents about the impact the bills would have on their lives, I've been reaching out to leaders in affected issue areas to learn the same. K-12 and Higher Education continue to be a priority of mine, and I've been in close contact with the ISD196 Superintendent, ISD196 School Board, the Presidents of DCTC and Inver Hills, ISD196 teachers, staff, parents and students.
Through negotiations, I'll continue to advocate for things like:
- Fully funding our K-12 Schools (Read my Thursday op-ed in Pioneer Press here)
- No cuts to Metro Transit
- Protecting local control and constitutional freedoms, including free speech
- Sufficient funding for Minnesota's Higher Education systems to keep tuition costs down, expand programs and get more people into our work force
- Support for home health care workers who serve the seniors and people with physical and intellectual disabilities
- Ongoing protections for our environment, with anemphasis on waters
Fair funding for the Executive and Judicial branches-- the two other equal branches of government (the MN Supreme Court Chief Justice has already released a
statement regarding the Public Safety Omnibus bill, which details how the current bill puts public safety at risk)
Minnesota has a projected $1.6 billion surplus and a stable economy. That said, the state's economic predictions are showing an increased level of uncertainty for the near future and recent economic reports show a slowing economy. Prudence and fiscal responsibility should be our goal.
I'll be sending more frequent updates over the next week with a detailed breakdown of some of the budget bills most important to our community. Please continue to reach out and engage with me regarding any issues that are important to you, or with any questions you may have.
In between floor session I try to visit with as many constituents and attend as many community events as possible.
It was great to visit New Horizon Academy in Apple Valley to learn about their programs.
It was also a lot of fun to visit Apple Valley High School as they celebrated student achievement both in and out of the classroom.
It's an honor to represent you and our community in the Legislature.
Warmly,
Erin