Despite a bipartisan compromise on budget plans between a Republican-led Minnesota House and a Democratic-led Minnesota Senate, lawmakers will soon head to a special session after Governor Dayton chose to veto three finance proposals: K-12 Education, jobs and energy, and environment and agriculture.
To say I am disappointed in this development is an understatement.
Our education finance bill included a $1.3 billion increase over current funding, provided a $205 average increase in funding for every student in every classroom and more than $60 million in new money for proven early learning initiatives, including early education scholarships and school preschool aid.
The governor's biggest problem with the K-12 bill is that it did not include new money to create a universal pre-Kindergarten program in our schools. This is a provision that would ultimately add billions of dollars to our future budget obligations. It's also worth noting that many schools are already facing space concerns in their current buildings and they would find it quite difficult to make those preschool programs work.
By vetoing ag and environment legislation, he has rejected funding to help state agencies continue to combat avian flu and to extend much-needed assistance to poultry producers and workers impacted by the epidemic.
The jobs bill would have helped connect Minnesotans with better-paying jobs, provided important relief to miners and poultry farm workers, and made our state's energy both cleaner and more affordable.
Now we are off to special session to craft new proposals in these budget areas in order to address the governor's concerns, despite the fact that the House and Senate had already reached bipartisan consensus on these issues prior to the conclusion of the 2015 session.
As always, I am interested in your feedback. Please feel free to contact me by e-mail at Rep.Kathy.Lohmer@House.MN or contact my office at 651-296-4244. You can also send mail to my office address: 501 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.