STATE OF MINNESOTA TWENTY-SEVENTH MEETING
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES EIGHTY-FOURTH SESSION
EDUCATION FINANCE COMMITTEE
MINUTES
Representative Barb Sykora, Chair of the Education Finance Committee, called the twenty-seventh meeting to order at 12:40 PM on Wednesday, March 22, 2005, in Room 5 of the State Office Building.
The Clerk noted the roll.
Members present:
SYKORA, Barb, Chair
DEMMER, Randy, Vice Chair
BERNARDY, Connie
BUESGENS, Mark
DAVNIE, Jim
DORN, John
EKEN, Kent ERICKSON, Sondra
GREILING, Mindy
HEIDGERKEN, Bud
JOHNSON, Ruth
KLINZING, Karen
MESLOW, Doug
NEWMAN, Scott
Members excused:
A quorum was present.
12:41:47 PM Steve Heintz, Research Analyst, House Research informed the committee on comparative tax bases and proposed changes to net tax capacity
HF1412 (Demmer) Agricultural land exempted from certain school district debt service levies
12:49:56 PM Rep. Demmer moved HF1412 be recommended to pass and re-referred to the committee on Taxes.
12:50:10 PM Rep. Demmer presented HF1412.
12:54:42 PM Testifying on HF1412:
Al Christopherson, President, Minnesota Farmer Bureau
HF1413 (Brod) School boards authorized to elect to levy debt service against referendum market value
HF1414 (Brod) School boards authorized to elect to levy debt service against referendum market value
1:01:33 PM Rep. Sykora moved HF1413 and 1414 be recommended to pass and re-referred to the committee on Taxes.
1:02:16 PM Rep. Brod presented HF1413 and HF1414.
1:07:39 PM Testifying on HF1412, HF1413, and HF1414:
Dan Melchert, Farmer, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown school district
1:12:41 PM Dan Morris, Farmer, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown school district
1:19:43 PM Joel Whitehurst, Superintendent, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown school district
1:23:45 PM Leonard Pederson, School board member, Waterville-Elysian-Morristown school district
1:34:26 PM Vernae Hasbargen, Legislative Director, Minnesota Rural Education Association
1:41:52 PM Brad Lundell, Executive Director, Schools for Equity in Education
1:49:37 PM Rep. Demmer renewed his motion that HF1412 be passed without recommendation to the committee on Taxes. THE MOTION PREVAILED.
1:49:59 PM Rep. Sykora moved HF1413 be passed without recommendation and re-referred to the committee on Taxes. THE MOTION PREVAILED.
1:50:36 PM Rep. Sykora moved HF1414 be passed without recommendation and re-referred to the committee on Taxes. THE MOTION PREVAILED.
1:51:05 PM Rep. Greiling moved to have the Education Finance and Tax committees form a taskforce in the interim to look at issues that affect both school finance and tax policy. THE MOTION PREVAILED.
1:51:44 PM Rep. Davnie moved the minutes of: March 21, 2005. THE MINUTES WERE APPROVED.
1:52:43 PM The meeting was adjourned.
REP. BARB SYKORA, CHAIR
Bethany Johnson
Committee Legislative Assistant