In This Edition:
- Fiscal Disparities Bill Update
- School Safety
- MNLARS
- Fire Station Bill
- Around the Capitol and Community
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Here is an update with the latest news from the Capitol and around the community.
Fiscal Disparities Bill
Testifying on House File 3776 with Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce President Pat MulQueeny
House File 3776, a bill I discussed in my last update that will make significant changes to the Fiscal Disparities Program and help create a new fund dedicated to highway projects that reduce metro-area congestion, moved forward this week. The rebuilding of the I-494/35W Interchange is an example of a priority project that is in need of a funding source like the one I am proposing.
It received a hearing in the Transportation Finance Committee, and Eden Prairie City Councilman Brad Aho and Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce President Pat MulQueeny came to testify in favor.
The Fiscal Disparities Program was created in 1971, and mandates a portion of a community’s business property tax base must go into a pool for redistribution to other metropolitan communities depending on a number of complex factors. The simple take away is that there are winners and losers in this system, especially for suburbs like Eden Prairie that grew up after 1971 and have a strong business community and commercial property values.
House File 3776 offers a creative solution to the worsening congestion on our metro area highways that will benefit all residents in the metro area and better serve taxpayers. The bill was successfully moved from the Transportation Committee to the Tax Committee where it is currently pending.
School Safety
On Wednesday the House Education Finance Committee devoted another day to hearing a variety of proposals that would help increase school and student safety. Among the proposals heard were increasing funding for a grant program to increase the number of counselors, psychologists, social workers and other professional support staff in our schools; reimbursement grants for audits of school security; school-linked mental health grant funding; and changes to the safe schools levy program. Fox 9 did a story on the Education Finance Committee hearing, which you can see here.
Legislation I am authoring to authorize bonding funds for grants to school districts for building safety and security improvements was heard on Thursday. The grants would be administered by the Department of Education and funds would be split evenly between metro and Greater Minnesota school districts.
MNLARS
As many of you have read about or experienced firsthand, our new state licensing system, MNLARS has been plagued with dysfunction since it launched last summer. Minnesota taxpayers have already spent nearly $100 million for a system that doesn’t work. They are rightly outraged.
The Dayton Administration requested $43 million in new funding, including around $10 million immediately to fix the program. On Thursday, the House and Senate came to an agreement on legislation that will provide the initial funding of approximately $10 million while implementing a number of critical reforms to ensure stronger oversight measures going forward. Governor Dayton signed the measure into law.
In short, the bill allows fixes to continue on the MNLARS program while providing badly-needed oversight of funding and work being done on the project. We must get this fixed for Minnesotans.
Fire Station Bill
The Tax Committee heard legislation I am authoring that will help the Minnetonka community. House File 3793 will provide a sales tax exemption for construction materials to build a new fire station in Minnetonka, as well as remodel and expand an existing fire station to accommodate its use as a police station.
Their community asked me to carry this bill, and I think it’s a commonsense proposal that helps local taxpayers and ensures the community can make needed upgrades to their public safety facilities.
At the Capitol
Pictured with Maggie Bruecker and other teachers who were at the Capitol with Educators for Excellence
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If you need assistance on a matter related to state government, or have questions, comments or suggestions about what is happening in the Legislature, please don’t hesitate to contact my office. I am here to serve you!
Sincerely,
Jenifer Loon