Dear Neighbor,
Happy May! Inside this edition of the Peppin Report:
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Tax Bill Passes House with Relief for Rogers
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Budget Bills Move through House
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Sunday Sales
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Visit from Congressman Paulsen
1) Tax Bill Passes House with Relief for Rogers
On Wednesday, April 29, the Republican Omnibus Tax bill (House File 848) passed the Minnesota House by a bipartisan vote of 74 to 58. The bill directs $2 billion in tax relief to middle-class families, college students, aging adults & veterans, farmers and job creators & innovators
Additionally, the bill includes tax relief for the City of Rogers. This provision of the bill seeks to ease the unfair tax burden paid by so-called “contributor” cities like Rogers to the Fiscal Disparities pool – a 40 year-old program which redistributes property tax dollars among cities who meet certain criteria developed in the early 1970s. The policy in place currently transfers millions in property tax dollars from communities like Rogers to cities in other metro counties.
Specifically, this provision would allow the city to receive a refund of their contribution to the Fiscal Disparities program if the contribution is larger than what they receive but less than 8% of their net tax capacity. Stay tuned for more information as the bill moves through the conference committee process.
2) Budget Bills Move through House
Over the past week, the House has passed several budget bills off the floor.
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On Friday, April 24, we passed the State Government Finance bill that increases transparency and reforms how our tax dollars are spent within state departments and state agencies, promotes efficiency through streamlining so state government doesn’t grow significantly more than family budgets, and prioritizes our veterans by including $6 million in new money for veterans’ healthcare.
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We also passed the Environment & Natural Resources Finance bill that includes bipartisan provisions reforming the implementation of water quality standards that gives the legislature – not bureaucracy – the ultimate say over whether a new water quality standard takes effect. It also includes modifications to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) Citizens Board, which will put permitting and environmental review decisions solely before the commissioner (like every other state regulatory agency). Additionally this legislation authorizes a third party auditor to conduct a full audit of the MPCA covering all aspects from personnel, finances, and organizational structure
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On Saturday, April 25, the House passed the Education Finance bill that takes a good step toward improving student learning by strengthening and clarifying standards on new teacher licensure to ensure a firm foundation of academic skills. It also reforms the seniority-only policy currently in state law so that teacher evaluations can be among the locally-determined criteria when school districts are in the unfortunate position of making layoff decisions. We also provided an overall increase of funding per-pupil of $178/pupil over two years.
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On Monday, April 27, we passed the Higher Education bill that works to lower student debt, get students career-ready, and improves student safety on campus by protecting, educating, and empowering survivors of sexual assault, as well as working to prevent it.
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On Tuesday, April 28, the House passed the Public Safety Finance bill. This legislation fulfills a core function of government – working to keep citizens safe. One notable part of this bill is that it directs the Minnesota Department of Public Safety to collaborate with federal, state, and local agencies to develop strategies for effectively combating the recruitment of Minnesota residents in terrorism groups such as ISIS.
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We also passed the Health and Human Services bill. This legislation is about reclaiming our state’s place as a world leader in healthcare by protecting aging adults’ quality of life, and caring for our most vulnerable and physically disabled residents. I’m pleased we were able to provide $138 million for our nursing homes to implement a statewide rate of reimbursement. This will improve the wages of care providers in these facilities, and provide a stable solution to statewide nursing home funding needs.
3) Sunday Sales
On Tuesday, April 28, the House debated the Omnibus Liquor Bill addressing a broad cross section of law related to regulation of the liquor industry. An amendment was offered by Rep. Jenifer Loon (R-Eden Prairie) to allow municipalities and local governments to choose whether or not their local liquor stores would have the option of being open on Sundays. I voted in support of this amendment along with 56 other members of both parties. The amendment did receive the necessary 68 votes to be placed on the underlying bill which will likely end discussion on this issue for the year.
4) Visit from Congressman Paulsen
On Monday, April 27, Congressman Erik Paulsen came to the Capitol to visit with legislators. I appreciate that he took the time out of his busy schedule to listen to our concerns about the federal government’s impact on state policy.
I’ve known Congressman Paulsen since college and served two terms with him in the Minnesota House – including a term when he served as House Majority Leader.
We’re heading into the homestretch for the 2015 legislative session. Please don’t hesitate to contact me on issues of concern to you. My direct line is 651-296-7806. My email address is rep.joyce.peppin@house.mn and my mailing address is Room 459 State Office Building, 100 Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard, St. Paul, MN 55155.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Joyce
**Encourage your neighbors and friends to sign up for my email updates at www.house.mn/34A