With students from the PACT Charter School at the Capitol—thanks for visiting!
Dear Neighbors,
We are just a few days away from legislative adjournment. Here is the latest update from the Capitol.
Budget Negotiations
House Republicans are committed to getting our work done on time for the people of Minnesota, responsibly funding state government and investing in our shared priorities including tax relief, transportation and education.
We have been making meaningful offers to Governor Dayton in an attempt to find compromise and agreement on legislation that will fund our state government and its essential functions for the next two years. I hope he will work with legislators to find a bipartisan agreement and a commonsense compromise. I will share more soon, as we are set to adjourn on Monday.
Real ID
I know many people have been following the debate on complying with federal Real ID mandates in Minnesota, and I wanted to share an update. This week, the House and Senate came to an agreement on Real ID, passing the measure which Governor Dayton signed into law. The measure passed 120-11 in the House.
I did not support the measure because I still believe the federal Real ID law is a violation of the Tenth Amendment, specifically infringing on state sovereignty. I shared in the Transportation Policy Committee earlier this session an explanation of my concerns where I voted yes in committee to allow the bill to be vetted through the process. I was a no vote on the floor of the House this week on final passage.
My primary concern is that if we do comply, we are ceding a power that we have had since 1908 – that is, how we manage and process our driver’s licenses – to the federal government. Furthermore, we are not ceding it solely to other elected officials, but to an unelected Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security who can at any time expand the use of REAL ID.
We can hope DHS will not do this, but history and experience with the federal government does not give me any comfort. If we give them some of our power, I believe it is only a matter of time before they take more. The federal government has continued to expand over the years, and I don’t see why this would be different.
Please note that there are people I highly admire and respect on both sides of this debate. I understand the other side of the debate well - namely, there is a belief this will increase security, and on a very practical level people want to continue to be able board commercial aircraft and enter military bases with their "regular," or state-issued ID (though this ID will be in compliance with federal standards).
Whatever your own feelings, I think it is fair to say Minnesota was faced with a difficult choice. If we did not act and there are no changes from Congress or the Trump administration, citizens of Minnesota would have concerns about whether or not they would be able to board an aircraft or enter certain federal buildings with the current Minnesota license starting next year, when individuals would need an enhanced ID or passport. For me, the concerns regarding the federal government encroaching on our states' rights outweigh the potential risk.
For those who share my concerns, I want to note that the new system is one that you choose to opt into, meaning you can choose whether to get a Real ID-compliant license or choose an ID under our current system. Also, as we transition as a state to becoming fully Real ID compliant, a passport will continue to be an acceptable form of identification to fly and enter federal facilities. However, if you are traveling to a military base, I highly recommend calling ahead and asking what forms of ID they will accept.
At the end of the day, I think the good news is there is always room for continued debate and conversation, and even when we disagree with one another we can still maintain a positive relationship. That said, I want to thank Rep. Dennis Smith who carried the Real ID bill for the time, energy and hard work he put into the bill. He was always willing to talk and answer questions on it. Thank you Rep. Smith!
Teacher Licensure Vetoed
In 2016, the Office of the Legislative Auditor released a report summarizing the problems with the licensure system well. Some highlights from the report:
-"The constantly changing and poorly defined teacher-licensure laws make it difficult for BoT [Board of Teaching] board members, MDE [Minnesota Department of Education] licensing specialists, and teacher candidates to understand Minnesota’s teacher-licensure requirements. (pp. 72-74)"
-"Multiple exceptions to licensure requirements have led to loopholes and meaningless standards. (pp. 74-75)"
-"MDE issued a denial letter in the remaining 17 cases in which the candidate did not receive the license for which he or she was recommended. We evaluated the clarity of these denial letters. We considered 7 of the 17 denial letters to contain clearly written denial reasoning . . . However, we found the denial reasoning MDE provided to candidates to be unclear in the majority of cases."
For more on the problems within the current system, see: http://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/ped/2016/teacherssum.htm
and http://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/ped/pedrep/teachers.pdf.
I am disappointed to share that Governor Dayton vetoed a bipartisan bill to address our broken teacher licensure system this week. The bill had overwhelming support from education stakeholders throughout the state, and was amended many times (the bill underwent 45 iterations) as state leaders and education advocates worked to make the bill better. This initiative was not about politics, but rather about good policy. It streamlined licensure, increased transparency, and worked to address our state’s dire teacher shortage. This was about ensuring great teachers can get a license to teach in our state, and ensuring Minnesota kids have access to a world-class education.
You can read the full bill here.
Again, I am disappointed it was vetoed, and will continue to advocate for our students, educators and schools.
Around the Community
Foster Hope: To address our foster care shortage, Anoka County has partnered with groups to help families in crisis and provide information about foster care in the community. You can go to www.anokacounty.us/foster for more information.
Staying in Touch
Please know my office is available should you need assistance on a matter of state government. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-1729 or via email at rep.abigail.whelan@house.mn. I also welcome your input and ideas on legislation and matters moving through the Minnesota House. I am here to serve you! Thank you for the honor and privilege of being your state representative.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Abigail