Speaking to my elections bill which passed the House earlier this week
Seersucker day at the Capitol
The youngest members of the Lerch family came to visit us at the Capitol
The Olson family visiting me on the House Floor
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I wish you a wonderful Memorial Day weekend as we take time to remember the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation.
Here is an update with the latest news from the Capitol.
2017 Session Concludes with Bipartisan Budget
This week, the Legislature completed their work, sending a bipartisan budget to Governor Dayton who came to an agreement with the House and Senate. Included in the budget were a number of priorities that House Republicans championed including tax relief, a comprehensive transportation package and an education bill that funds our schools and make meaningful reforms.
First, tax relief was a top priority for our community who wanted to see a portion of our $1.65 billion surplus returned to them. I am pleased to share that we passed a $650 million tax bill—the largest tax cut in nearly two decades—that will put more money back in the pockets of families, businesses, college graduates with student loan debt, and seniors on a fixed income.
Next, the Legislature approved the largest investment in road and bridge infrastructure in state history without a tax increase, as we focused on funding critical transportation projects statewide. Meeting our state’s transportation needs, making our roads safer and reducing congestion in the metro were all addressed in this transportation bill. Additionally, since I dropped the bill to do a safety and improvement study of the 494/694/I-94 interchange in Woodbury, $28 million in funds have been secured for safety and congestion relief. I will continue to advocate for that particular study to be done, although not included in our current transportation bill, as it will provide for long-term planning for the interchange.
Third, for our students and schools we placed more money into every classroom across the state, increasing funding by $1.35 Billion with a 2 percent and 2 percent increase to the per pupil funding formula. In addition, we also advanced a number of meaningful reforms including overhauling our broken teacher licensure system, funding alternative teacher preparation programs, and repealing the LIFO (last in first out) default in state statute so more than seniority can be considered when making difficult layoff decisions. What’s more, the bill also includes a provision I spearheaded to protect the safety of kids in our schools by ensuring they regularly test for lead in drinking water. You can see a recent news story I did for KSTP on it here. In all, our education bill strives to ensure Minnesota schools continue to lead the nation, as we work to keep world-class educators in the classroom, tackle our state’s achievement gap, and improve student learning.
Other highlights from this session and budget bills passed in the last couple weeks include tuition freezes at MnSCU campuses, streamlining permitting to make it more efficient, investing in veteran priorities, and funding the preservation and restoration of the Miller Barn in Woodbury.
Overall, this was a productive and bipartisan legislative session, and I believe the people of Minnesota will benefit from the budget and tax relief we sent to Governor Dayton for his signature.
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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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