Dear Neighbor,
We have been back at work at the Capitol this week after a break over Easter and the focus is turning toward finance bills that address various parts of our next state budget.
House committees are busy combining various bills that have come before them into respective packages.
One bill that remains alive in the process and I hope we get into enactment would provide additional state aid for road work to communities of fewer than 5,000 residents. This would be a substantial benefit all of the cities in District 12B, which currently do not receive a portion of gas tax revenue. This bill would allow them to receive shares of the $20 million statewide total.
I am a strong supporter of this bill, which received a hearing in the Property Tax and Local Government Finance Division this week. The proposal was well-received and there is a strong likelihood it will be included in the division's final report.
Gov. Mark Dayton issued his State of the State address in the House chamber Thursday tonight. The two subjects he spoke most about are education and transportation. I wonder about his level of spending for universal pre-Kindergarten in light of the entire educational system needing additional base funding. He is still proposing some type of new buffer zone requirement, but we need more time to study the issue to come up with a workable solution.
On a personal note, I was sad to hear the news that Ernie Janisch had passed away. For those of you who didn't know Mr. Janisch, he was a longtime Starbuck teacher and administrator and was the first superintendent for the Minnewaska district when it was formed in the early 1990s. Mr. Janisch was my ninth-grade algebra teacher. He was a great instructor, a great administrator and did a great deal of good for our area. His funeral is this (Friday) morning.
Please stay in touch and your thoughts on the issues always are welcome. One way you can weigh in is by participating in a legislative survey I am conducting. It only takes a few minutes to complete and you can access the online version by clicking here.
Sincerely,
Paul