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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Ben Lien (DFL)

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Legislative Update - March 8, 2019

Friday, March 8, 2019

Greetings from the Floor,
 
The House passed the following bills off the floor this week:
 
HF80: replaces $102 million in Environment and Natural Resource Trust Fund appropriation bonds passed as part of the 2018 Bonding Bill with general obligation bonds
-These appropriation bonds are backed by state lottery dollars, and were used last session
to fund projects that are typically financed through general obligation bonds.  A lawsuit
was brought by environmental groups that the appropriation bonds were not used in
accordance to the constitutional intent that established the state lottery to fund
conservation projects.  Because of the lawsuit, the sale of the bonds was halted last fall.
 
HF232: redirects $100,000 in unused money appropriated to the Department of Agriculture for the AGRI program to support farm families with mental health needs
 
HF608: makes technical changes to state law governing St. Louis County civil service provisions
 
HF281: allows members of a governing body who are serving in the military and deployed or at a drill, or advised by a health care professional not be in a public place for medical reasons to attend meetings via interactive television from settings not open to the public
 
HF745: bans child marriages in Minnesota
 
HF13: puts a question on the ballot in the 2020 general election to add an Equal Rights Amendment to the Minnesota Constitution
 
I introduced four more bills this week.  HF2110 would change the formula for Long Term Facilities Maintenance (LTFM) Revenue for school districts.  This revenue from the state helps districts maintain buildings, and is based on average building age.  The change would prevent a district that adds onto existing school facilities, and does not reduce any overall building space, from having its average building age reduced for the purposes of LTFM Revenue.  The issue was brought up as the Moorhead district added space to Horizon Middle School.  The new building space would lower the district’s average building age; however, no old space was eliminated from the district, and the district now has more square footage to maintain.
 
HF2154 is a technical agency bill for the Gambling Control Board.  HF2240 would establish a career academy for school districts in Clay County, and appropriate $6 million in state general obligation bonds for career academy facilities.  The career academy would be operated through a joint powers agreement between Clay County school districts, and would introduce high school students with private sector employers for job opportunities in local high demand fields.  A partnership with the Minnesota State system would also be created for college credits.  This vision was brought to Sen. Eken, Rep. Marquart and me by superintendents Brandon Lunak and Bryan Thygeson.  It would be a great way to fill high demand jobs and keep students in the area after graduation.
 
HF2251 would give state recognition to the Red River Basin Commission and increase its state appropriation by $50,000 per year.  The state recognition would help to credit work the commission does with local governments on issues like water quality, water conservation, flood mitigation and water management.
 
Now that the February budget forecast has been released, House and Senate leadership are working on budget targets for the legislative committees.  This is the first step for the Legislature to write its budget proposal.  Of course, the House and Senate will have different budget target numbers, but the process is the same for both bodies.  These budget targets set the parameters for the omnibus finance bills each committee puts out to fund the state government.
 
 
Thank You for the Opportunity to Serve,
Ben