Hello from the State Capitol,
Following three days of lengthy discussion, the Minnesota House began approving budget bills Saturday evening.
The first bill off the House floor was the Legacy funding bill, which allocates $383 million generated by the three-eighths of 1 percent Legacy Amendment sales tax in Minnesota. The proposal was approved 87-40. Included in this plan is funding for campground improvements at the Disabled Veterans Camp on Big Marine Lake, which all of us recognize is a very worthwhile investment.
The House also approved an omnibus finance package which allocates $139 million for agriculture and broadband programs in the State of Minnesota for the next two years. It was passed on a strong bipartisan vote of 111-20.
A higher education finance plan was also approved late Saturday night on a 71-57 vote. This proposal helps fund programs within the Minnesota State and University of Minnesota systems. The major point of contention in this bill was inadequate public safety funding on campuses. Neighborhoods near the University of Minnesota campus have seen an increase in crime, including five people being shot in the Dinkytown area on Friday night.
Today, we are scheduled to debate a commerce bill on the House floor, and many other budget bills must come forward in the next nine days.
Talk to you soon,
Bob