Greetings from the House Floor,
Before I address recent action in the Legislature, I’d like to let folks know about a town hall the League of Women Voters of the Red River Valley is hosting. It will be Saturday, April 12, at 10:30 a.m. at the Moorhead Public Library. Sen. Kent Eken, Rep. Paul Marquart and I will all be there.
We had brief floor sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday last week, while the latter part of the week was very busy with long sessions on Thursday and Friday.
The House passed the supplemental budget bill for the remainder of the biennium on Thursday. The bill is divided into articles correlating to certain issue areas pertaining to Health and Human Services; E-12 Education; Transportation; Jobs and Economic Development, and Higher Education. Specific provisions of the supplemental budget include:
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a 5% funding increase for long-term care health workers
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a 1% increase on the general education funding formula
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transportation funding for repairs of trunk highways, county roads and municipal streets; railroad safety; designated corridors of commerce and the Transportation Economic Development program
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Greater Minnesota economic development funding for broadband development; the 6 Initiative Foundations around the state; the 10 Small Business Development Centers around the state and job training programs
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an appropriation of $17 million for the MnSCU system with an ongoing $14 million increase to the base for the retention of faculty and staff
On Friday, the House passed the second omnibus tax bill of the year, focusing largely on continued property tax relief for Minnesotans. The bill also provides tax cuts for small businesses through property tax relief; sales tax reform; R & D tax credits, and Angel Investment tax credits dedicated to Greater Minnesota. The property tax relief provisions include:
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an increase to the Homestead Credit Refund for property taxes paid in 2014 (eligible homeowners will see a 3% increase in their refunds)
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an increase for the Renter’s Credit Refund for property taxes paid in 2014 (eligible renters will see a 6% increase in their refunds)
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a credit for homesteaded farms through the Agricultural Homestead Market Value Credit where the average farmer will see $230 in property tax relief this year and $490 in future years
This second tax bill also contains provisions for the Border City Enterprise and Development Zones and Disparity Reduction Credit. The language in the bill pertaining to these programs funds the Border City Enterprise and Development Zones at $1.5 million for 2015 and $3 million per year from 2016-2019 and reduces commercial/industrial property taxes for border city businesses to 1.7% through the Disparity Reduction Credit. These programs will continue to benefit our Northwest Minnesota border city businesses through property tax relief and economic development incentives as the oil-driven economy of North Dakota surges on.
Other bills passed on Friday include HF 2701 (disaster assistance contingency account), HF 2397 (omnibus E-12 education policy) and SF 2004 (technical modifications to Department of Human Services appropriations). HF 2701 establishes a contingency account for natural disaster response when the Legislature is not in session. The bill allows up to $6 million for disaster response appropriations without needing a special legislative session (special sessions can still be called; however, under this bill they would not be necessary).
Major provisions of HF 2397 include improvements to the development of career and higher education readiness for students; the establishment of an adult standard high school diploma; reforms to the teacher licensure core skills testing, and Minnesota’s entrance into an interstate compact to help children of military families.
The long floor sessions are sure to continue into this week as the House will take up several bills before the legislative break for Easter and Passover begins on Thursday evening. The work of the Legislature continues in the non-stop manner in which this year’s session began.
Thank You for the Opportunity to Serve,
Ben