Dear Neighbors,
This shortened legislative session is now half over. The 2016 legislative session is compressed into about ten weeks and today is already the second committee deadline. Each year the Legislature establishes deadlines for committee action on bills to narrow the list of topics to be dealt with that year.
According to the House of Representatives web site:
"The first deadline is for committees to act favorably on bills in the house of origin." (April 1)
"The second deadline is for committees to act favorably on bills, or companions of bills, that met the first deadline in the other house." (April 8)
"The third deadline is for committees to act favorably on major appropriation and finance bills." (April 21)
These deadlines do not apply to the Capital Investment, Ways & Means, Finance, Taxes or Rules committees in the House and the Capital Investment, Finance, Taxes or Rules committees in the Senate.
“Deadline weeks” are very busy. This week was filled with committee meetings, floor sessions, and constituents visiting the Capitol complex in large numbers to visit with their legislators and advocate for their concerns and issues.
REVISED BUDGET RESOLUTION
Last evening, we heard the Republican majority’s revised budget resolution in the Ways and Means Committee. This resolution outlines their plan for the state’s $900 million budget surplus. You can read more about that hearing and details about their revised budget resolution here.
RAILROAD SAFETY
Important rail safety legislation (HF 3698/SF3352) passed a key hearing in the House unanimously this week. DFL legislators were joined by emergency managers, fire fighters and residents of oil train corridors to stress the importance of emergency preparedness.
The bill increases the number of state track inspectors and requires railroads to notify MnDOT when hazardous materials are being carried on rail through Minnesota communities.
We’re simply asking railroads to increase safety, transparency and accountability to local communities and the 326,000 Minnesotans who live within the blast zone of an oil train rail line. Minnesota emergency responders deserve greater transparency about the contents of these trains.
The Rail Safety legislation would:
- Improve Emergency Preparedness and Response plans for railroads in case of oil and hazardous substance discharge.
- Expand Rail Safety Inspections and Transparency by allowing the Commissioner of Transportation to increase the number of state rail safety inspectors from three or four to nine, and add the ability for inspectors to inspect train equipment. These inspections must be transparent and available through the MnDOT public website.
- Provide Transparency and Prepare At-Risk Communities by demanding that rail carriers notify when hazardous materials, including oil, are traveling through Minnesota communities and providing information about emergency response plans.
TACKLING OUR STUDENT DEBT CRISIS
Several bills to address crushing student debt were heard in the Higher Education committee in the last two weeks. The average debt load of four year graduates in Minnesota is nearing $32,000 – the 5th highest debt burden in the nation. Too many local residents know that student debt can make it difficult to buy a home or save for the future, limiting family budgets and overall economic growth.
Here are some of our ideas this session to reduce student debt. Many of them were heard recently and will hopefully move forward this session:
- Freezing tuition at the U of M and MnSCU to keep college costs down
- Expand the state grant program to open access to more families
- Reduce cost of textbooks by requiring campus bookstores to compare and match prices
- Tax credits for student loan payments to reduce student loan debt
- Expand/improve state’s refinancing pilot program to make repayment more affordable
- Loan forgiveness (up to 3K annually) to those who commit to work in Greater Minnesota
Last year, despite a $2 billion surplus, the House Republican Majority voted for a budget that actually raised tuition on our student at the University of Minnesota and our four-year campuses. With a $900 million surplus this session, we really should make students a priority and finally tackle our student debt crisis.
Legislative Survey
If you haven’t already taken my 2016 Legislative Survey, please do so by clicking the link here. I appreciate hearing from you on the major legislative issues before us this year.
You can always contact me with questions at 651-296-4255 or rep.lyndon.carlson@house.mn. It’s an honor to serve you at the Capitol.
Sincerely,
Lyndon Carlson
State Representative