Dear Friends and Neighbors,
This week, the House continued to debate and pass budget bills. After passage by both the House and Senate, conference committees will meet to work out the differences between the two legislative bodies. We will need agreement by the Legislature and signature by Governor Dayton before these bills become law.
Last week I talked about $1.35 billion in tax relief and the Minnesota Road & Bridge Act. Here are some highlights from other budget omnibus bills that are moving forward in the House:
Education
Last Friday, the House passed the Education Finance bill which invests $1.1 billion more in education over last biennium, putting more money into every classroom. Included in the bill is more than $300 million in investments for proven early learning initiatives, reforms that work to attract and keep the best teachers in Minnesota classrooms, and a provision to require school districts to test for lead in public school buildings.
What’s more, two initiatives I spearheaded are in the bill. The Grow Your Own program continues our efforts to bring more teachers into our workforce through alternative teacher preparation, and the Minnesota Principal Academy which provides leadership training for public and charter school leaders.
Public Safety
The Public Safety Omnibus bill works to give law enforcement the tools they need to serve and protect our state, our citizens and our community. From providing new revenue to address domestic violence prevention and terrorist recruitment to creating stronger penalties and longer supervision for convicted sexual predators, the number one job of this bill is to keep Minnesotans safe.
Legacy
The Legacy bill passed this week focuses constitutionally-dedicated funding to cleaner water, better parks and trails, the arts, and our state’s cultural heritage. Included in the bill passed is funding I championed for the Miller Barn preservation in Woodbury.
State Government
The State Government Finance budget reins in government spending and puts a stop to double-digit agency budget increases we’ve seen in recent years. The bill also includes key reforms to increase agency transparency, streamline state government and ensure government is accountable to the people it serves.
Higher Education
The Higher Education bill prioritizes college affordability through tuition freezes and reductions. It also helps Minnesotans through student loan debt counseling, as well as improves accessibility for students to attend a post-secondary institution.
Job Growth and Energy Affordability
This Job Growth and Energy Affordability bill works to lower energy costs for Minnesotans by streamlining the regulation process for energy providers, and by reinvesting monies from ineffective programs into clean energy programs that better serve consumers statewide. What’s more, the bill also works to return $700 million in unclaimed property to Minnesotans and funds job training for veterans entering the workforce.
Health and Human Services
The Health and Human Services Finance bill focuses first on protecting Minnesota’s most vulnerable citizens. In all, the bill provides an additional $90 million in targeted dollars to help Minnesotans most in need including disabled children and victims of abuse and neglect.
Increasing opioid abuse prevention and treatment, increasing the statewide bed capacity for inpatient psychiatric services for adolescents, establishing a support program for family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease, and repealing our broken insurance exchange, MNsure are some additional highlights from the legislation.
494/694/1-94 Safety Improvement
Last week, I mentioned that the provision I authored to fund the safety and improvement study of the I-94/694/494 highway interchange was included in the Transportation Finance bill. Here is a video talking about the need for this important project in Woodbury.
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As always, if you have ideas about what you would like to see happen this session or need assistance on a matter of state government, I welcome you to contact me. Please don’t hesitate to call (651-296-1147), email (rep.kelly.fenton@house.mn) or stop by my office.
Sincerely,
Kelly
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