Greetings from the Floor,
Bills passed off the House floor this week were:
HF 3389: modifies child support obligation standards so that new statutes can be considered a change in circumstance
HF 3383: creates financial exploitation protections for adults over 65 and vulnerable adults
HF 2743: modifies statute of limitations for construction litigation
HF 3280: nullifies both existing state standards and newly proposed Minnesota Pollution Control Agency rules for wild rice waters
HF 817: criminal penalties created for tampering with Point-of-Sale terminals (ATMs, gas pump credit card readers, etc.)
HF 2391: exemption of Health Savings Accounts from creditors
HF 1415: authorization and regulation of daily fantasy sports games
HF 3548: modifies state law to comply with federal exemptions for interstate agricultural transportation hours of service
HF 3552: changes the Common Interest Ownership Act to allow for individual unit sales and conversion to commercial property
HF 3225: regulation of automated kiosks that purchase used cell phones
HF 3210: grants metro counties the same authority as Greater Minnesota counties to maintain storm and sanitary sewer obligations
HF 2908: designation of a Highway 52 bridge as the Dennis Groth Memorial Bridge
SF 2484: designation of part of Highway 12 as the Bill Mathews Memorial Highway
HF 4328: E-12 Education and Higher Education Finance and Policy Bill
The most notable of these bills were HF 3280 and the E-12 Education and Higher Education Bill. I voted against HF 3280 because I do not agree with the nullification of existing state standards for wild rice waters. I was pretty upset the MPCA was moving forward with the new rules prematurely (the agency had until January of next year to complete the rule making process on the new standard), and after an Administrative Law Judge rejected the proposed new rules. I was even more upset that, after this bill was debated in the House, the MPCA announced they would not proceed with the new rules. Never the less, I did not agree with the nullification provisions of the existing state standards in the bill, and now see an opportunity for the Legislature to work with the MPCA and interested stake holders to address this issue properly.
Provisions of the E-12 Education and Higher Education Bill include:
- $28.5 million in new funding to address school safety (the Moorhead School District would see about $135,000 in new funding)
- $4 million for the Minnesota State system for tuition relief
- $1 million for a new cyber security program at Metro State University in St. Paul
- $500,000 for the University of Minnesota system for tuition relief
- $350,000 for the State Grant program
- $100,000 for the Agricultural Educators Loan Forgiveness program
- $50,000 for student loan debt counseling
Although I’d like to have seen more funding to help our higher education systems as campuses across the state are having issues with budgets and low student enrollment numbers, I did vote for the bill. School safety is a very important issue, and we need to talk about it regardless of what events may be happening around us. I see student mental health wellness as a major part of school safety, and Minnesota needs to do a better job to support all students reach their full potential.
Next week we will take up more omnibus finance and policy bills on the House floor. Some of these bills already scheduled for early next week are the Tax Bill, Legacy Bill, Health and Human Services Bill, and Public Safety Bill.
Thank You for the Opportunity to Serve,
Ben |
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