With Dawn Tuveson from Woodbury who came to the Capitol to talk about Multiple Sclerosis.
She was also recently named the Activist Volunteer of the Year by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Congratulations on your recognition, Dawn and thank you for your hard work!
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Here is an update with the latest news from the Capitol.
Supplemental Budget
Both the House and Senate have now released supplemental budget proposals for this session.
House Republicans budget unveiled last week proposes no net increase in spending in any supplemental finance bill. Some money previously spent is being reallocated so that taxpayer dollars are better utilized. Overall, we want to continue to focus on what matters to middle-class Minnesotans and use our state's $900 million surplus for tax relief and a transportation bill that fixes our roads and bridges.
The Senate DFL announced their proposal on Wednesday, increasing spending in a number of areas, but spending almost nothing of the surplus on roads and bridges. In fact they are proposing to spend less than four percent of the surplus on transportation this session.
I will continue to prioritize tax relief and transportation and am hopeful we can get both bills passed this session that work for Minnesota families and taxpayers.
Education Omnibus Bill
This week, the Education Finance Committee passed its omnibus bill which puts together a number of finance and policy provisions into one piece of legislation, including several of which I authored. Two provisions I spearheaded, the Grow Your Own Tuition Assistance Program and Collaborative Urban Educator Program (CUE) grants will have a very positive affect on Minnesota educators.
First, the Grow Your Own Tuition Assistance Program creates a pilot project that would provide tuition scholarships to establish a nonconventional teacher residency program, helping more non-licensed employees who hold a bachelor's degree receive an elementary education license.
My second bill for CUE grants will help increase teacher diversity in our schools. Minnesota's student population is currently 30 percent students of color, but the teaching force is only 4 percent people of color. Some studies have shown that when students of color are placed with teachers of color, classroom success rates go up and special education and discipline referrals go down. Increasing diversity in our classrooms is a worthwhile goal, and can be especially effective in areas where there are educator shortages or bilingual positions available.
In addition to bills I authored, there are a number of other excellent provisions in the education omnibus bill this session. For instance, to help protect school staff from assault and put teachers back in charge of the classroom, there is a policy being spearheaded by House Republicans that will help make a number of changes for the better.
Following several stories in the media over the past few months about student assaults of staff, the bill requires that a school board's district-wide discipline policy be consistent with a teacher's authority to control their classroom and manage student behavior, as well as allowing for teachers to remove a student from their classroom should the need arise. Furthermore, the bill also require that teachers be notified should a student with a history of violent behavior be placed in their classroom.
While this will help make some immediate improvements to the situation, there is also a student discipline working group to study the long-term changes that must be implemented to improve the safety in our schools. Students, teachers and staff must have a safe, positive environment that encourages learning and growth, and our education omnibus bill addresses both short and long-term solutions.
Fantasy Sports Act
On Monday, the House passed legislation to affirm the legality of fantasy sports in Minnesota. Over one million people in our state participate in fantasy sports on a regular basis, and this bill will ensure they can continue to participate legally. There was no expansion of gambling in the legislation.
The legislation has been advanced for a number of reasons. For one, state law does not specify outright that fantasy sports are lawful, leaving Minnesota open for a future lawsuit from activist attorneys general who could move to bar fantasy sports like we have seen in other states. Additionally, this bill adds consumer protections in fantasy sports to give peace of mind to those who participate.
So even if our Minnesota Twins, Wild or Vikings don't win it all this year, maybe your fantasy sports team will!
In the News
In case you missed it, my latest Viewpoint in the Woodbury Bulletin can be read online here. I talk about reforming local government, offering parents more options for their child's education and putting money back in the pockets of Woodbury families through tax relief.
I also had a nice conversation recently with Politics in Minnesota, talking about what inspired me to get into public service and ways to end partisan polarization at the Capitol. You can read that story here.
Survey
My 2016 Legislative Survey is still available to take online, giving me another opportunity to gather feedback from constituents about important issues being debated at the Capitol. Your opinions are valuable and guide me toward supporting legislation that best serves our community.
If you haven't done so yet, just go to this link to take my survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Fenton2016
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts! Also, don't forget to share my survey with your friends and family in District 53B! I will share the results with you soon.
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As always, if you have ideas about what you would like to see happen this session or need assistance on a matter of state government, I welcome you to contact me. Please don’t hesitate to call (651-296-1147), email (rep.kelly.fenton@house.mn) or stop by my office.
Sincerely,
Kelly
Don’t forget to “like” me on Facebook to learn more about what’s happening at the Capitol.