Dear Neighbors,
This week, Governor Dayton signed both the bonding bill and pension bill into law. I was happy to support these pieces of legislation and am grateful that Governor Dayton agreed.
Our bonding bill package included general obligation bonds to fund construction projects throughout the state including:
- $541 million for transportation
- $178 million for asset preservation
- $123 million for water-related projects
- $208 million for higher education construction at both the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State Colleges
- $32 million for veterans homes in Preston, Bemidji, and Montevideo
- $28 million for mental health crisis centers
Another top priority in the bill that was signed by Governor Dayton is $25 million for school security facility grants, making critical improvements for student safety.
For our community, $500,000 was secured to fund the replacement of a water main in Arden Hills north of Highway 96 along Highway 10.
The pension bill, signed by Governor Dayton on Thursday morning, is expected to save Minnesota taxpayers $57 million in 2019 and $263 million in the next biennium. According to Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) the proposal will eliminate $3.4 billion from the state's unfunded pension liability. The new law improves the sustainability of pensions for police, volunteer firefighters, teachers, and public employees.
Once again, I was a vocal supporter of this legislation and was happy to see the governor sign it. Our public sector employees do a lot of great work for our state and it is important that we are able to keep the promises we’ve made to them as it relates to their pensions.
Finally, I will be hosting a town hall meeting on Thursday, June 14th at the Shoreview Library. The meeting is set to take place from 6:30-8:00 pm. Your presence is welcome.
That’s all for this week’s update. Thank you for allowing me to represent you at the capitol. For any questions, comments, or concerns regarding any issue related to state government, please feel free to contact me at either 651-296-0141 or rep.randy.jessup@house.mn.
Sincerely,
Randy