Greetings from Moorhead,
From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday, July 9, the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV) is hosting a free drop-in legal clinic for veterans. It will be held in the 3rd floor auditorium at the Fargo VA HCS (2101 North Elm St, Fargo). Attorneys, MACV staff and County Veterans Service Officers will be available to assist veterans with questions, legal forms and counsel. Please feel free to share this information with others.
Several new laws took effect on July 1, and I’d like to give a quick rundown of some of the key provisions and issue areas impacted. The biggest changes come as a result of the supplemental budget passed in 2014.
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Budget Reserves
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$150 million was added to the State Budget Reserve – the first increase in 13 years. This will bring the State Budget Reserve to $811 million (the highest in state history) and will positively impact the state’s credit rating. Also going forward, a third of all future budget surpluses will go toward the State Budget Reserve.
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Agriculture and Environment
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Approximately $4 million from the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund went to the Pollution Control Agency to help counties expand recycling efforts. Also, $2 million in one-time incentives for farmers and other food producers will provide surplus food to food shelves.
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The supplemental budget allocated $1.6 million to improve state parks and $2 million to provide shooting sports facilities grants. The University of Minnesota received nearly $5 million to create the Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center.
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E-12 Education
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Of the $54 million in new money allocated to education, $23 million went to an increase in the basic education formula of $25-per-pupil.
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The cap on early learning scholarships was removed, and funding for those scholarships, as well early childhood family education scholarships, was increased by $4.7 million each.
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The law also appropriated $3.5 million for all students on reduced price school lunches and $569,000 so that all kindergartners can have a school breakfast.
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Health and Human Services
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Long-term care organizations, like CCRI and Access Red River Valley, will receive a 5 percent funding increase.
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Nursing homes across Minnesota will receive three annual rate increases over the next three years to mitigate minimum wage costs. This is crucial as the wages paid to staff, like the long-term care organizations, largely come from the state (about 75 percent).
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$10 million went for a salary supplement for state-operated services employees – specifically those at the Minnesota Security Hospital in St. Peter.
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The Healthy Housing program at the Department of Health was created with $300,000 a year in permanent funding for local grants to address housing-specific health threats.
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$2.5 million was appropriated for respite service development grants.
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$1 million in permanent funding went to the Health Department for the Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Youth program.
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$1 million in permanent funding was allocated to the Department of Human Services for the Homeless Youth Act.
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A working group was established for mentally ill offenders who are arrested or are subject to arrest.
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Higher Education
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A $17 million funding increase went to MnSCU campuses across Minnesota to attract and retain staff and faculty.
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The Office of Higher Education will have the authority to refinance some college loans taken out by students or their families starting on June 1, 2015.
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Jobs and Economic Development
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An investment of $20 million for broadband development went out across Minnesota under a Border-to-Border broadband initiative.
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Allocations of $475,000 and $500,000 will help the Initiative Foundations and Small Business Development Centers, respectively, around the state provide critical technical assistance to start up and new businesses.
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Judiciary and Public Safety
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The Department of Corrections received $16.2 million for negotiated staff pay increases.
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The Office of Justice Programs at the Department of Public Safety received $1.3 million, including $500,000 for youth intervention programs and $500,000 for emergency shelter programs for victims of domestic violence and trafficking.
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$3 million created a Disaster Assistance Contingency Account, which will help local officials pay for the non-federal share of disaster assistance.
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Transportation
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Improvements for the safety of Minnesotans who live and work near railways that carry crude oil and other hazardous materials went into effect. The new laws include stricter oversight of railroad companies, require more railway inspections, and provide for better emergency response training and preparedness in communities across Minnesota. An additional part of this focus was on railroad crossing safety for previously unmarked rail road crossings.
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A 10 percent biodiesel blend requirement was implemented. Known as B10, this higher blend will be sold annually from April 1 through September 30. A 5 percent mixture that works better in Minnesota’s winter weather, called B5, will be used between October and late March each year.
Another significant piece of legislation that became law was the Women’s Economic Security Act (WESA). This bill has several provisions to address issues that will bring financial security to families all over Minnesota. Some key provisions of the bill will:
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Support the development of women owned businesses in high economic impact, non-traditional fields with grants.
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Address economic consequences of domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault by expanding unemployment insurance eligibility currently available to victims of domestic violence to include victims of stalking and sexual assault and allowing employees to use existing earned sick leave to deal with sexual assault, domestic violence or stalking.
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Expand access to high-quality, affordable childcare by removing the $5,000 cap on early learning scholarships.
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Decrease the gender pay gap through more support for employers, workforce organizations and others to recruit, prepare, place and retain women in high-wage, high-demand nontraditional occupations and apprenticeships – especially low income and older women.
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Enhance retirement security by considering a state retirement savings plan for those without an employer-provided option.
I hope everyone had a great Independence Day weekend and enjoyed the gorgeous weather.
Thank You for the Opportunity to Serve,
Ben