Dear Friends,
I’d like you know about a new Town Hall Meeting on March 14th. It will be focused around Transportation and co-hosted by myself and Sen. Torres Ray, and Rep. Jean Wagenius. Special guests Sen. Scott Dibble, Chair of the Senate Transportation committee and Rep. Frank Hornstein, DFL lead on the House Transportation committee will join us.
Transportation Town Hall
Saturday, March 14, 1:00-2:30 p.m.
Lake Nokomis Community Center, 2401 East Minnehaha Parkway
Capitol Update
The February Forecast was finally released last week, giving us the information we need to start building a state budget. The forecast shows that there will be a $1.9 billion surplus if there are no changes to state government programs over the next 2 years. Our state forecasts only measure inflation for revenues and not for expenses so a fair portion of the surplus will likely go towards those expenses; and given that our state budget is roughly $20 billion a year in a state with a $300 billion economy, the $1.9 billion surplus – while still a large number – is not quite as huge as it first sounds. My colleagues and I will have to rigorously scrutinize the best ways to invest it in Minnesota and its people.
Bills I’m working on
Aside from the budget news last week the pace of legislating has increased. This week I had 4 bills up in committee.
-House File (H.F) 520 came up in the Commerce Committee. It allows craft wineries to sell to their customers the same as craft brewers. Currently wineries located on farms have more expanded sales opportunity than their city cousins, and I am looking to have one standard statewide.
-Senate File 89 (H.F) corrects a misinterpretation by the Dept. of Revenue and allows all college students to buy their required materials sales-tax-free. Currently the state is correctly respecting the sales tax waiver for textbooks and related items but is not for items that are required for vocational courses. I am seeking to change the states interpretation to be more balanced.
-H.F. 1217 expands concurrent enrollment programs (a fancy way of referring to “college in the schools”) both in state support and availability. Experience has shown that offering rigorous classes in high school is a valuable strategy for closing the opportunity and achievement gap between students of color and their white peers and increasing graduation rates. It can also save students significant money when they go on to college. There’s been a lot of bipartisan support for this so I’m very hopeful it will pass.
-H.F. 1219 would require the same kind of reporting of state test results for students experiencing homelessness as we require for other demographics like race, special needs, and students learning English.
In conversations at the Capitol, I frequently have to remind my colleagues that nearly 10% of students in Minneapolis Public Schools are experiencing homelessness in any given year. Most also forget that 1,100 classrooms in 23% of Minnesota’s school districts have students experiencing homelessness. It’s one of the things that most puts kids at risk of falling behind academically. I have come to the conclusion that we have a number of achievement gaps, not just one gap. I am hoping that this is a first step in putting a spotlight on these students, so that we can then provide targeted support and care for these students.
Working Parents Act
Next week I have a hearing scheduled on H.F. 402 which would repeal the state rule that allows restaurants to charge the credit card transaction fees on tips to the server who earned the tip. Simply put the tip belongs to the server and the server alone, they should not be forced to carry a routine business expense.
H.F. 402 is one part of the Working Parents Act, a legislative package aimed at providing greater opportunity and economic security to millions of Minnesotans. The package responds to the real challenges facing working parents and all Minnesotans in an economy that is tilted against them. Minnesota’s economy is growing, but many Minnesotans are still struggling to get ahead. The number of dual-income families and single working parents has grown significantly in our state, yet workplace policies haven’t kept up, often putting working parents in the position of caring for a loved one or forgoing a paycheck.
The Working Parents Act includes four other legislative proposals dealing with earned sick and safe time, paid family leave, putting a stop to wage theft, and scheduling fairness and flexibility.
Minneapolis Students = Political Football?
Unfortunately, students are still used as political footballs. Yesterday saw the introduction of a bill from Senator Hann, the GOP Minority leader in the Senate. It seeks to break up Minneapolis Public Schools into 6 districts. To say nothing of how this might re-segregate our city’s students, it would increase school administration six-fold. It seems to me that this bill is more of a political tool to blame school district employees, rather than provide the classroom supports our students need. I look forward to working with my colleagues on serious solutions for our students, but I fear this isn’t one of them.
Please feel free to contact me directly with your comments and questions. You can reach me by phone at (651) 296-0173 or by email at rep.jim.davnie@house.mn. Thank you for the honor of serving you at the State House.
Sincerely,
Jim Davnie