Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Here is an update from the Capitol.
In this Issue:
- Budget Negotiations
- Bonding Bill
- National Day of Prayer
- Rogers & Maple Grove High Schools Achieve National Ranking
- Community Events
- Peppin’s MinnTriv
Budget Negotiations
Legislators are ahead of schedule in setting our two-year budget, and I have met several times this week with Governor Dayton and other legislative leaders to work toward a compromise. Conference committees have come to agreement on all of our budget bills. The House and Senate met the governor’s April 28th deadline, setting joint budget targets, and now we are eager to have him join us to create three-way targets so we can negotiate an overall budget to complete our work by adjournment.
You may have heard this week that Governor Dayton is raising concerns that the Legislature included policy provisions in their omnibus bills—something that has been done by both Republicans and Democrats in every budget year in memory. I think it is unreasonable for him to demand we take out these provisions, many of which were requested by his office and his agencies, as well as a number of proposals that we believe are in the best interests of Minnesota.
We will continue to work toward a final compromise that funds our shared priorities, limits the size and scope of government and includes policy provisions to make government more effective and efficient.
I will be spending the weekend on further negotiations toward a budget compromise and will provide updates as more information becomes available.
Bonding Bill
This week the House unveiled a capital investment (bonding) bill that overwhelming focuses on infrastructure, transportation, clean water and asset preservation. The $600 million bill funds commonsense priorities that have been vetted by the House over the past two years.
Last year, a bonding bill was passed by the House, but failed in the Senate when the then Senate DFL majority insisted on including funding for the highly controversial and well-over-budget Southwest Light Rail Line.
A bonding bill is likely to become part of final negotiations, and we want to ensure that our legislation is responsibly-sized and focuses on the needs of Minnesotans including roads and bridges, water projects and maintaining state facilities.
National Day of Prayer
May 4th was National Day of Prayer, and a bipartisan group of legislators joined in celebration on the Capitol steps Thursday afternoon. It was great to see people of all faiths in our state and across the country join together to pray for our nation.
Rogers and Maple Grove High Schools Achieve National Ranking
Congratulations to students, teachers and staff at both Rogers and Maple Grove High Schools which were recently named Silver Medal Winners in the U.S. News and World Report annual high school rankings. The U.S. News rankings include data on more than 21,000 public high schools throughout the United States. Schools are awarded Gold, Silver or Bronze medals based on their performance on state-required tests and how well they prepare students for college. Way to go Royals and Crimson!
Community Events
The Dayton Fire Department Auxiliary is hosting a children’s book drive at this year’s Dayton Clean-Up Day. Bring gently used children’s books to the drop-off location at Dayton Fire Department/Station 2 at City Hall on Saturday, May 6 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The books will go to local families and facilities in need. For more information, contact Gail Berner at 612-702-8831 or glberner@gmail.com.
The Rogers Seniors will be hosting bingo on Monday, May 8 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Rogers Senior Center on Main Street in downtown Rogers. Bring friends and neighbors, meet other great folks and win cash prizes!
The eighth annual Rogers Revue will be held at Word of Peace Church in Rogers on May 17th starting at 7:00 p.m. The event raises funds for Rogers senior programs. The Revue is a showcase of local talent and is not a judged contest. If you would like to perform in front of a supportive local crowd, don’t be shy! For more information contact Harold Trombley at 763-257-2956 or Michael Sahlen at 612-867-4627.
Peppin’s MinnTriv
Thank you to everyone who participated in last week’s MinnTriv Question. The question was: 19 cities in Minnesota have a population over: a) 50,000 residents, b) 62,000 residents or c) 76,000 residents. The answer was: a) 50,000.
Congratulations to Doug Ulland from Dayton for having the first correct response.
Here is this week’s question: This week is National Charter Schools Week. Minnesota was at the national forefront of charter schools, passing legislation to create the first legislated charter school in what year?
Respond to this email with your answer, and you could be featured in next week’s email update!
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In order to best represent our communities, I need to hear from you, so please don’t hesitate to contact my office at any time. My direct line is 651-296-7806. My email address is rep.joyce.peppin@house.mn and my mailing address is Room 459 State Office Building, 100 Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard, St. Paul, MN 55155.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Sincerely,
Joyce
**Encourage your neighbors and friends to sign up for my email updates at www.house.mn/34A