Dear Neighbor,
Here is a wrap-up from this week at the Capitol, where legislation I authored advanced and we received an update of the state's economy.
Minnesota Management & Budget announced today that a $1.9 billion state budget surplus is anticipated for the next two-year budget period beginning July 1. This is nearly double the estimated surplus announced in November.
In my job as Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, I will continue to devote a considerable amount of time in coming weeks putting together a state budget that determines what to do with this surplus, and other state funds. Look for more on this subject as things develop.
In other news, I participated as co-chair in the first conference committee of the year that was formed to prepare the deficiency/salary bill for final passage. It gained final approval from both bodies in Legislature and Gov. Mark Dayton enacted it Thursday.
This bill addressed short-term funding fixes for state agencies running short of funds this fiscal year, for items such as spending on Ebola that the Minnesota Department of Health spent when Ebola was a threat last Fall. The bill also rolled back to their prior level the large salary increases of $25,000 to $80,000 per year that were given by Governor Dayton to his commissioners, and returned to the Legislature the authority to set salaries in the future. The compromise that was negotiated with the governor allows him to retain his current authority to grant raises on the one day of this July 1, but then he loses that authority after that day.
Other bills I have authored are making their way through the legislative process as well. One bill pertaining to school tax credit bill passed out of Education Finance this week. This bill extends the education tax credit to private school tuition, and adjusts the credit and deduction amounts, as well as income qualifying amounts, for inflation. This means the tax credit will now be worth $1500 per student. Public, private and home school families benefit from this credit, which can currently be used for things like books, school supplies, tutoring, academic extracurricular activity fees, computer software, and other school related expenses.
Other legislation I authored which ratifies contracts of MNSCU employees, nurses and various law enforcement personnel (including troopers and game wardens) passed out of State Government Finance to the next committee, Higher Education Finance.
I was pleased to meet with many local people who came to the Capitol this week. This week's list includes:
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We had Saint Cloud days on Tuesday, and had dozens upon dozens of people from Saint Cloud. I really enjoyed having a chance to meet everyone and go out with Mayor Kleis, Teresa Bohnen, President of the Saint Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce, and others for dinner that evening;
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Mayor Rick Schultz, city of Saint Joseph;
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Pete Theismann, Cliff Borgerding and Kurt Franke of the Bicycle Alliance;
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Roland Specht-Jarvis, John Harvey, John Palmer, and several other individuals from the InterFaculty Organization at Saint Cloud State.
On a final note, I would like to express my sympathies on the death from cancer of Assistant Saint Cloud Police Chief Rich Wilson, who passed away a week ago and who will have his funeral on Saturday. I knew Rich and his family because our kids went to the same school. He was an extremely devoted public servant, and will be missed by all. Please keep his family in your prayers.
Sincerely,
Rep. Jim Knoblach