Greetings from the House Floor,
Last week, the full House of Representatives passed the Transportation Policy Omnibus bill and the Omnibus Pension bill. Here are some provisions of these key measures:
Transportation Policy: authorizes the Minnesota Dept. of Transportation to establish a Public-Private Partnerships office to develop strategies for attracting private investment to infrastructure projects, updates various policies relating to driver and vehicle safety, and requires the use of solar modules made in Minnesota for construction projects where the Minnesota Department of Transportation plans to use solar installations.
Pension: allows the State Board of Investment to invest in swap contracts, provides the Duluth and St. Paul Teachers Retirement Associations with state aid (increased member and employee contributions are also required), and provides savings to the state as a result of solvency measures to the Minnesota State Retirement System and the Public Employee Retirement Association ($43.5 million in 2015, $20.7 million in 2016 and $22.7 million in 2017).
The General Register bills passed last week were House Files 829, 938, 1138, 1389, 1221, 1470, 1400, 410, 1320, 1120, 662, 947, 1113, 746, 681, 1390, 195, 590, 1284, 128, 1115, 1196, 92, 902, 634, 694, 1117, 1136 and 758. To look up any of the General Register bills, please go to the House of Representatives website at http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/ (toward the top of the website is a search box entitled, “Get bill info” where you can enter the House File number).
Of the General Register bills passed last week, the most controversial bill was House File 92. HF92 raises the minimum wage in Minnesota for large employers to $8 beginning on August 1, 2013, $9 beginning August 1, 2014, and $9.50 beginning on August 1, 2015 (the small employer rates are $7, $8 and $8.50 for the respective dates above). The bill also adjusts the minimum wage to increase annually at the lesser of the rate of inflation or 2.5%, increases the amount of parental leave from 6 to 12 weeks and conforms to federal law to define a large employer as being a business that earns at least $500,000 in annual revenue. A tip credit for restaurants was also introduced, but voted down. I was one of two Democrats that voted for the tip credit as I heard from several restaurants in our district that a tip credit would greatly improve their ability to compete with North Dakota.
We have two weeks to go before the Legislature adjourns for the year. I anticipate the floor sessions will continue to be long as Conference Committee reports come back to the House Floor. It is very likely that some long Saturdays are in store as well. With this being a budget year, the work ahead of us is very important. We are committed to getting the job done on time and moving Minnesota forward.
Thank You for the Opportunity to Serve,
Ben