Dear neighbors,
Yesterday, the House passed a supplemental budget to build on Minnesota’s progress. Minnesota’s growing economy and strong budget passed in 2013 created a $1.2 billion budget surplus. The legislature has moved quickly to utilize about half of that surplus already, approving $443 million in tax cuts and directing $150 million to bolster the state’s budget reserve.
The House passed a supplemental budget includes $322 million in investments and the tax bill builds on that progress with priorities that puts low-income, working and middle classes families, students and seniors ahead of wealthy special interests.
Here are a few highlights of the $322 supplemental budget:
E-12 and Higher Education
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Funding Increase for Every School: Provide a 1 percent formula funding increase for K-12 schools – an increase of $58 per student –to further improve education outcomes.
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Early Education Investment: Provide more Minnesota children with access to affordable, high-quality early learning opportunities.
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Fully Fund School Lunches: Fully fund reduced price for school lunches to ensure no Minnesota child is turned away in the lunch line.
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English Language Learners: Recognizes the native and English language development and academic needs of diverse English learners, from young children to adults, to make sure English language learners reach their full potential and don’t fall behind.
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Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood: Provides $1.1 million to target multigenerational poverty and the educational achievement gap through family involvement in student achievement.
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Higher Education Investment: Invest in our higher education institutions to improve students’ access to an affordable college education.
Health and Human Services: Seniors & Caregivers
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Reducing Racial Health Disparities: Provide $575 thousand for programs aimed at reducing racial health disparities including a dementia outreach pilot program, immigrant and refugee mental health, Somali women’s health and others.
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Vulnerable Youth and Families: Provide $1.1 million for Safe Harbor housing and support services and increase funding for the Homeless Youth Act for ongoing homelessness services and support for teens.
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Caregiver Increase: Provide an additional 5 percent increase for home and community-based health care workers who care for the elderly and disabled.
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Senior Nutrition: Provide $425,000 for nutritionally balanced meals for seniors at community congregate dining facilities. This proposal mainly impacts rural Minnesota seniors.
Housing
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Racial and Ethnic Inequities: Directs the Department of Health to continue work to reduce racial and ethnic inequalities in homeownership.
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Homeownership Opportunities: Prioritize $500,000 for families with children with disabilities who face eviction.
Jobs and Economic Development
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Job-Retraining for Minnesota Workers: Provides a $1.6 million increase to the Job Skills Partnership - grant program that assists businesses with training skilled workers and $1 million for a Job Training Grant pilot program that would offer grants to employers to offset the cost of training new employees.
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Small Business Development Centers: Provides $750,000 in vouchers for small businesses to purchase high tech consulting services.
Transportation
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Pothole Repairs: Provide $25 million to help local governments throughout the state address the need to repair potholes after the worst winter in recent memory.
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Safe Routes to School: Increases funding for Safe Routes to Schools to help Minnesota students get to and from school more safely.
Public Safety and Disaster Assistance
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Increased Public Safety Resources: Provide $36.5 million from the General Fund to support the Department of Corrections, in addition to funding specific public safety bills assisting crime victims, such as enhanced penalties for repeat criminal sexual offenders.
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Disaster Assistance: Establishes a Disaster Assistance Contingency Account to provide critical disaster relief without the need for a special legislative session, saving time and taxpayer dollars.
Agriculture & Environment
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Farm-to-Foodshelf: Invests $1.5 million in Farm to Food-Shelf funding – funding goes to Second Harvest to reimburse food producers for labor costs when producers donate surplus food to food banks. Second Harvest estimates this program would generate 10 million pounds of fresh food for food shelves around Minnesota, which would turn into 7.6 million meals.
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Fight Invasive Species: Establishes the Terrestrial Invasive Species Research Center. The Center will conduct research on invasive and problematic plants and pests in MN and traveling to MN. The overarching goal of the center is to give farmers and growers more tools to address terrestrial problems facing the state.
This session is going by very quickly. We have already made a lot of progress for our low-income, working and middle-class families, but there is still work to be done. Today, the House is debating and voting on a second tax bill to provide an additional $103 million in tax cuts for homeowners, renters, farmers and businesses. Later this session we will also be discussing a bonding bill that includes investments for St. Paul College, as well as the Women’s Economic Security Act.
As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or feedback. You can reach me by phone at (651) 296-5158, by email at rep.rena.moran@house.mn, or by postal mail at 413 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.
Together we are stronger!
Sincerely,
Rena Moran
State Representative, District 65A