Friends and Neighbors,
On Wednesday, Governor Mark Dayton vetoed the critical tax conformity & education funding bill as well as the omnibus supplemental spending bill which were sent to his desk on Sunday by the legislature. This was incredibly disappointing, especially since he seems to not recall why he chose to veto both bills.
Governor Dayton's veto of tax conformity, school safety, and the ‘emergency’ funding for schools which the governor had not mentioned until the last weeks of the legislative session will hurt Minnesota families. It's truly disappointing and unfortunate that the governor, once again, rejected compromise solutions.
The compromise plan included an average of $96 in new,per-pupil spending across the state, education funding the governor repeatedly referred to as an ‘emergency’. Schools will now receive no new money due to this veto by the governor. I certainly hope the next governor of our state is willing to put the good of Minnesotans over partisan politics.
A partial list of those affected by Governor Dayton's vetoes include:
- K-12 students who won’t benefit from school safety funding
- Victims of elder abuse
- People with disabilities, and their caretakers, who would be affected by a 7% cut to the Disability Waiver Rate System
- Victims of opioid addiction, and medical professionals
- Victims of distracted driving
- Students enrolled in Special Education and Head Start programs
- People dealing with MNLARS debacle
- Deputy registrars whose businesses are floundering after MNLARS
- Minnesotans who need mental health support - particularly farmers & students
- Farmers and agribusinesses which needed ‘Section 179’ tax conformity for equipment depreciation
- Minnesotans who live in rural areas without high-speed internet
- Students who need help to afford college
- People who need job training and businesses that need skilled workers
- Taxpayers who will have a very difficult time when filing their taxes next year
- Voters concerned about election security
- Minnesotans concerned about privacy, data breaches, and cyber security
- CPAs and tax professionals who will be dealing with very complex tax filings
- Parents looking to find the best school for their children
- Low-income working families who rely on federal child care subsidies
- New teachers who need licenses, and Public School Districts which want to hire them
- Public School Districts that could have used the significant resources provided to fully fund Special Education
- Patients who care about transparent pricing for health care and prescription drugs
More Details on Vetoed Bills
The tax conformity and education funding bill, with bipartisan support, was part of a compromise effort between legislative Republicans and Governor Dayton. The legislation protected taxpayers, simplified Minnesota's tax code, and provided the first income tax rate cut in nearly 20 years. It also made available more than $225 million to help students - nearly $100 million more than what the governor requested, provided new money and additional flexibility for school districts to address budget shortfalls.
The supplemental spending budget bill, also with bipartisan support, reflected House and Senate Republicans compromising with the governor as well. In fact, more than 60 percent of the objections raised by the governor were removed or amended – meeting him more than halfway. The bill contained shared priorities like ensuring safe schools, repairing roads and bridges, tackling the opioid epidemic, protecting aging and vulnerable adults, and preventing a 7% cut to caregivers of disabled Minnesotans.
The bills we sent to the governor build on the tremendously successful accomplishments from the 2017 session which included the largest tax cut in nearly two decades, the largest investment in roads and bridges in state history - without a gas tax increase, major funding boosts for education, as well as reforms to lower health care costs and boost health care choices for Minnesota families.
Again, I could not be more disappointed with the actions of Governor Dayton.
The news of the governor’s vetoes as I arrived in St. Paul on Wednesday definitely put a damper on the day. Fortunately, the energetic and very well-mannered students from St. John the Baptist in Excelsior I was there to greet in the Rotunda of the Capitol offered me a much needed ‘pick-me-up’!
Thank you for the honor and privilege you have granted me to serve you and your families in the Minnesota House of Representatives. If you would like to get in touch with me during the interim, please email me at rep.cindy.pugh@house.mn or call my office 651-296-4315. I welcome and appreciate hearing from you and look forward to assisting you in any way I am able.
Sincerely,
Cindy