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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Bob Loonan (R)

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Update From the Capitol

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Friends, 

We are back at work in St. Paul following our brief break for Easter and Passover. It was great to be back in our community meeting with folks over the break.

As we've now survived what we hope is the final punch of winter, it looks like warmer temperatures are just around the corner. Below is a couple of the important things we are working on in St. Paul as we all hope to welcome in Spring this week. 
 

Supplemental Budget Targets Announced

Last Thursday, we announced targets for budget adjustments building on our historic accomplishments of the 2017 Legislative Session that saw tax relief for Minnesotans and extensive investment in our schools and roads and bridges. These 2018 budget adjustments continue our strong commitment to Minnesota families through tax relief, roads and bridges, and school safety.

We are proposing to dedicate the largest portion of the budget surplus toward simplifying Minnesota’s tax code to fully benefit from recent federal tax reform and provide additional tax relief to the middle-class. With state government fully funded from last year’s two-year budget, major investments will focus on common-sense issues like fixing roads and bridges and improving student safety. Savings are found through efficiencies in state government spending.

These budget targets were adopted in the Ways and Means Committee on Thursday night.

 

School Safety Package

Before we took a break for Easter & Passover, we unveiled a legislative package aimed at putting student safety first. We have taken a multifaceted approach that includes more resources to meet the needs of students and schools statewide which includes everything from hiring more school resource officers, student counselors and mental health professionals to making critical building security upgrades.

We have listened to school officials, teachers, students, and parents in our local communities to bring forward this comprehensive approach to making our students safer. The following solutions, authored by numerous House members, are currently advancing through the public committee process:

  • School resource officers, student support personnel, and other school security programs funded through increased Safe Schools revenue, including a floor level of funding for small schools authored by Reps. Barb Haley, R-Red Wing and Anna Wills, R-Rosemount.

  • School building security upgrades, and expanded use of Long-Term Facility Maintenance revenue for security projects, including emergency communications systems authored by Rep. Jenifer Loon, R-Eden Prairie.

  • School-linked mental health programming to ensure better outcomes for all kids authored by Rep. Jeff Backer, R-Browns Valley.

  • Physical security audit grants to provide state assistance to review facility security and crisis management policies authored by Reps. Randy Jessup, R-Shoreview and Drew Christensen, R-Savage.

  • Suicide prevention training for teachers to help educators learn how to engage and assist students experiencing mental distress authored by Rep. Dario Anselmo, R-Edina.

  • School-based threat assessment teams established to assess, intervene, and report threats facing students, teachers, and staff authored by Rep. Keith Franke, R-St. Paul Park.


Meetings this week

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Rep. Loonan with former Shakopee area students and others at the Capitol.

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Rep. Loonan and an advocate for mental health funding who raised awareness by attempting to walk from North Dakota to our Capitol in St. Paul! 

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Rep. Loonan and members from the Scott County Soil and Water Conservatiuon District. 

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Rep. Loonan with REM regarding funding for group homes in Minnesota.

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Rep. Loonan met with Dr. Aaron Kalis from Blue Earth to discuss health care networks

If you have any other questions on any of my bills or anything else going on at the legislature, please reach out to my office at (651) 296-8872. You can also reach me via email at rep.bob.loonan@house.mn.


Have a great week!

Bob