Dear Neighbors,
I hope you and your loved ones are enjoying this warm weather! I had a special visitor during session this week, my 9-month old son, William.
Several high-profile bills were signed by the Governor this week or are on their way to his desk for signature. Here’s a look at what’s going on at your State Capitol…
MINIMUM WAGE INCREASED TO $9.50/HOUR
The House and Senate both passed a state minimum wage increase, and the Governor is expected to sign it into law next week.
The current minimum wage is $6.15 per hour, though most employers pay $7.25, the federal minimum wage. (All of our neighboring states pay $7.25.) In Minnesota, 61% of minimum wage workers are between the ages of 15-24.
The new rates will be:
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$9.50 per hour for large employers
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$7.75 per hour for small employers
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Beginning January 1, 2018, the minimum wage will be adjusted based on inflation.
$90M SENATE OFFICE BUILDING APPROVED BY LEGISLATURE
Majority leaders in the House and Senate Rules committees moved ahead on a plan to build a $90 million taxpayer-funded Senate office building.
Majority party senators are currently housed in the Capitol, and minority members have their offices across the street. The new building will be 166,000 sq. ft. with 67 offices for each senator, leaving the existing office spaces vacant.
On behalf of you, the hardworking taxpayers in my community, I did not support this wasteful use of your money.
ANTI-BULLYING BILL PASSES THE HOUSE
Gov. Dayton signed an anti-bullying bill into law this week that seeks to strengthen current state policy. The bill:
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Creates a new “Climate Center” state agency ($1 million every two years).
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Requires schools statewide to comply with the new policy at the cost of $20-$25 million per year.
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Requires schools to comply with the new policy, even if their current policy is successful.
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Shifts local school board control to the state.
While the bill was working through the legislative process, I had ongoing concerns about provisions that ultimately were not remedied or fixed, despite many bi-partisan efforts. The lack of parental involvement and notification if their child is part of a bullying incident is shocking, and I have heard from many concerned parents about this very issue. In addition, there are not adequate protections for due process if a child is wrongly accused of bullying.
Our local districts have stated that they do not need this bill and are concerned about the unfunded mandate that will put constraints on their budget. They have worked very hard to develop and implement strong anti-bullying policies, and they believe precious school dollars are best kept in the classroom.
Bullying is of course a huge concern and something that continually needs to be addressed, but this bill went in the wrong direction for what is in the best interest of our students, parents and districts. It is unfortunate there was not more collaboration around this issue to get a better bill for Minnesota families and the kids who are victims of bullying.
MNSURE UPDATE: LEGISLATIVE AUDIT, CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATION
Officials at MNsure, Minnesota’s extension of Obamacare, released updated enrollment figures this month. Here are the details:
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Individual Market (commercial plans): 47,046
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Small Group (SHOP/Small Biz): 807
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MinnesotaCare: 34,219
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Medical Assistance: 87,986
Due to much lower than expected commercial enrollment and continued technical glitches, MNsure is undergoing an audit by the State Legislative Auditor and an investigation by the U.S. Congress.
A portion of a Congressional letter issued to Gov. Dayton, dated March 28, reads:
“It is clear that the Minnesota exchange has failed to live up to expectations. Despite receiving over $155 million dollars in federal grants to set up its ObamaCare exchange, the exchange has managed to enroll only approximately 38,000 people. Put differently, for every person enrolled by the exchange, federal taxpayers gave the state approximately $5,000.”
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Click here to watch a segment where I respond to criticisms from Governor Dayton regarding the MNsure Legislative Oversight Committee.
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Click here to read more about the investigation.
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Click here to read more about the audit.
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Click here to read “MNsure defects were no surprise” from the Star Tribune
SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET BILL PASSES THE HOUSE THAT INCREASES SPENDING, BAILS OUT OBAMACARE
Last week the House passed a 450-page “supplemental budget” bill that determines how the state’s $1.2 billion surplus should be handled.
Here are a few key highlights about the bill:
TOTAL SPENDING
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$323 million: total spending increase for 2014-15
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$892 million: additional spending increase committed for 2016-17
OBAMACARE BAILOUT
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$406 million is allocated to bail out federal Obamacare dollars that didn’t come to the state as expected. Bill language allows this bailout to continue indefinitely and does not reform how government works in order to prevent another funding shortage.
I could not support this bill as written. If you remember, spending grew last year by a historic $3 billion (10-percent). When wages are only growing by an average of 4-percent per year, government growth should not be priority number one. Instead, we should be giving back these surplus dollars to the hardworking Minnesotans whose taxes went up by $2 billion last year.
REMINDER: 2013 TAXES NEED TO BE FILED BY THIS TUESDAY, APRIL 15
IRS Free File is available at www.IRS.gov/freefile to individuals making $58,000 or less, so you can easily prepare and e-file your taxes. All calculations are done for you, and you may even get your refund in as little as 10 days. For questions or information regarding your Minnesota state return, visit the Minnesota Department of Revenue.
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Please let me know if you are ever in St. Paul or if I can be of service to you and your family on matters of state government. I can be reached at rep.tara.mack@house.mn or 651-296-5506. I look forward to hearing from you!
Have a great weekend,
Tara