By Rep. Bob Vogel
The Legislature is set to adjourn May 18, which means this session's most significant bills – and our most important decisions – are just around the corner.
Legislators have been doing a lot of listening to ideas and proposing plans of their own to this point. We have examined many worthy proposals and have discussed a number of others that do not seem to be a good fit for the state. Now is the time when the issues we have been filtering in meetings will start to come together in preparation for votes by the full legislative bodies.
One of the biggest questions of all is what the total amount of state spending will be in the new two-year budget. The top-line numbers for proposals are now in place, with the House ($39.95 billion), the Senate ($42.7 billion) and Gov. Mark Dayton ($43 billion) all having put forth plans. For reference, the House proposal is a 4-percent increase over the current budget, while the governor and Senate want more significant rises.
Another issue to watch is whether a bonding bill to fund construction projects throughout the state passes this year. The governor recently announced his proposal for an $842 million bonding bill, which seems exceptionally large – especially when you consider substantial bonding bills traditionally are passed in even-numbered years. That has changed somewhat in recent years with smaller bonding bills being enacted in odd years like this, but those are usually reserved for time-sensitive projects or emergency funding for disaster relief.
In any case, a bonding bill should not a priority for this session and it is doubtful a proposal in the range the governor proposes can gain traction in the House. It would not be good to borrow the maximum amount and increase our debt service to that degree. My focus will remain on crafting a new state budget the House, Senate and governor all can approve to benefit Minnesotans.
One of the committees I serve that has been especially interesting this session is the Job Growth and Energy Affordability Policy and Finance Committee. Our mission is to provide Minnesota with cleaner, more affordable energy by incentivizing and supporting private initiatives rather than passing more layers of prescriptive legislation. A prime example would be encouraging our diesel fleet to convert to natural gas, benefitting the environment and also helping our transit lines and school districts save money.
A number of policies have been passed over the last decade or so that have helped bring clean energy, but also have made things more expensive. The key for us is to take advantage of advances in modern technology that allow us to protect our environment and achieve greater affordability at the same time.
Please stay in touch regarding these and other issues, such as long-term transportation plans, education and more, as make our way to the end of the session. You can reach me by emailing rep.bob.vogel@house.mn or by calling (651) 296-7065.
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