Dear Neighbor,
Before we get to the latest from the Capitol, I encourage people to remember to honor the memory of our military veterans this Memorial Day. The sacrifices they made have given us what we have today and that will be part of my message in a speech I will be delivering at a ceremony Monday in Brooten. We live in the greatest country in the world, and we owe our veterans a huge debt of gratitude for their heroism.
Things have been fairly quiet in St. Paul since the Legislature adjourned at midnight Monday and members went home to their respective districts. I have been catching up on work around the farm and spent part of Wednesday picking rock.
The biggest thing we are waiting on now is to see whether the governor approves the bills we sent to him or if he will veto any.
The governor is threatening to veto a bill related to K-12 funding because it didn’t include funding for his universal pre-kindergarten proposal. A veto would be disappointing since it would derail a bipartisan agreement between both legislative bodies that increased education funding by $400 million from the previous biennium (a 3.5-percent increase over the next two years).
What is interesting about the governor clinging to universal pre-K is there really is no clamoring for it in the public. Nearly everyone I talk with about this subject – from area superintendents, to parents and those who run family day care centers – opposes adding this new program in our schools. There are numerous logistical concerns to keep in mind, not the least of which is a lack of space for schools to house so many new students. They are just now getting the all-day kindergarten program up to full speed and adding another class seems impractical.
Another concern is the expense of adding universal pre-K when schools already struggle to keep up with existing commitments. A number of people say we would be better off taking the money that would go toward pre-K and putting it toward the general per-pupil funding formula so schools have more local control over how that money is used.
A veto from the governor would send us into a special session in the coming weeks. A complicating factor in the special session itself is the Capitol is in the midst of a significant restoration project. The construction schedule is tight and workers began stripping the House chamber of its furniture just after we adjourned Monday. The governor suggests a special session could take place beneath tents on the Capitol lawn. Hotels have offered their banquet rooms and other alternatives are sure to be discussed if and when action by the governor leads to a special session.
We also are awaiting to see the governor's decision regarding a bill the Legislature approved which provides a $138 million increase in nursing home funding. This would greatly improve our nursing homes’ ability to attract and keep the workers necessary to more fully staff their operations.
One bill the governor did enact into law this week is the agriculture policy bill I carried through final passage. It contains several key provisions, among which is language that provides a level of legal protection for those who host agricultural events on their farms. Several other states have this agri-tourism law, and we were able to work with the various stakeholders and come up with compromise language.
There also were some bills that landed on the cutting-room floor this session and never made it to the governor. I’m disappointed that we were unable to come up with a major transportation bill as the DFL Senate wouldn’t move from their support of the gas tax. It’s difficult to support a major tax increase such as a 16 cents per gallon sales tax on fuel when we have a big surplus in the state treasury. When the GOP House wouldn’t go along with a gas tax increase, the Senate decided it wouldn’t support a major tax bill. That bill contained tax relief for seniors, veterans, and farmers, but will now have to wait until next year for possible passage.
I will keep you posted as things develop in St. Paul. The governor's decisions on bills could come Saturday.
Sincerely,
Paul