Dear Neighbor,
Work at the Capitol is briefly on hold as the Legislature observes the Easter and Passover holidays.
It will be good to have some extra time over the next week or so to speak with folks in the district as we reach this session’s midway point. The House floor was a busy place recently as the majority pushed to pass a whole lot of bills prior to the break. Here is a quick rundown of recent developments:
TRANSPARENCY LACKING
A recent national report grades Minnesota a D+ for transparency in spending. This is unacceptable and taxpayers should demand better. A new Senate office complex rammed through the process by Democrats is a prime example of why our state received such a low grade. The majority ignored public objections and put taxpayers on the hook for a $90 million Senate building without bringing this project through the traditional committee process.
MNSURE’S PROBLEMS
This week, MNSure’s Legislative Oversight Committee met after news outlets confirmed Gov. Mark Dayton and his top advisers knew that major problems existed with the program prior to its Oct. 1 launch and said nothing. This is yet another area where transparency lacked. Taxpayers deserve answers as to why the public was left in the dark about MNSure’s problems and why program supporters allowed the issues to continue. The majority has been running away from this issue all session and does not seem interested in discussing ideas we in the minority have to improve things.
BULLYING BILL
The House passed the final form of a bullying bill. This forces unfunded mandates on our districts, lacks parental notification requirements, abridges freedom of speech and due process for our students, and shifts local control to bureaucrats. This proposal was not requested by our schools and most say they don't need it and don't want it. This bullying bill runs opposite from what most of us would like to see: parental empowerment, budgetary flexibility and important decisions made by local parents and officials in our areas. Also worth noting is we already have a law on the books requiring schools to have a policy on bullying.
Please keep in touch during the Easter/Passover break and I’ll keep you posted as issues unfold during the second half of the 2014 session.
Sincerely,
Tom