St. Paul – With the legislature constitutionally required to adjourn by midnight Monday, most of the major budget bills have yet to come to the House and Senate floors. As of Monday afternoon, only the Agriculture, Higher Education, Public Safety, Environment and Natural Resources, and Jobs and Energy measures have come forward. In some cases, legislators and members of the public alike were given as little as two hours to review 100-plus page proposals prior to floor consideration.
“What we’re seeing in these final hours is a process completely unaccountable to the public, and when business is conducted this way, Minnesotans lose out,” Rep. Jennifer Schultz (DFL – Duluth) said. “When things are rushed too quickly, mistakes are made, as we saw last year. The Republicans in the majority have known their deadline since January, and they should place a greater value on ensuring legislators and citizens alike can understand what’s in these bills rather than rushing them through.”
On Sunday, the House passed a Higher Education bill, severely underfunding both the Minnesota State and University of Minnesota systems, which will certainly lead to tuition increases, staff layoffs and reductions in programming. The U of M was treated particularly harshly, with an appropriation $92.3 million short of its request.
“All around, this is a bad deal for students. At UMD, enrollment is declining because high tuition already prices students out beyond their reach, and this bill will compound the problem.” Schultz said. “Every dollar we invest in higher education leads to a $13 return. These are the investments we should be making so our state can grow, prosper and compete.”
One of the biggest question marks all session has been whether a bonding bill will pass to fund capital improvements throughout the state. “The entire legislative Duluth delegation and Mayor Larson have been working extremely hard to make sure our Duluth projects are included,” Schultz said. “I’m confident that at this stage, the Republicans in the majority know that a bonding bill must be bipartisan and regionally balanced, including projects in northeast Minnesota.
Another discussion Rep. Schultz has been deeply involved in concerns the Health and Human Services budget. Republicans have proposed significant cuts in this area, and with a great deal of federal uncertainty on the horizon, she has worked toward a sustainable budget which protects the health and well-being of Minnesotans.
“Within the framework of Health and Human Services we should be looking at ways to expand access to health care for Minnesotans, not reduce it as the GOP has sought to do in their proposals,” Rep. Schultz said. “Unfortunately, it appears one approach is to use the Health Care Access Fund to balance the budget. To do so would put the nearly 100,000 Minnesotans who receive MinnesotaCare in jeopardy of losing their coverage in the future. This is an irresponsible approach, and I hope we can achieve a better solution.”
Other work remains, including a tax bill. Both Gov. Mark Dayton and the Republican majorities have moved from their positions on this issue, but an agreement has yet to be reached. Traditionally, this is one of the final bills to be wrapped up before adjournment.
“All session we have seen the GOP insist on misguided, tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations,” Rep. Schultz said. “While I’m pleased that many bad policy provisions have been removed, there are other troubling ideas still alive. I simply cannot accept the premise of putting giveaways for big tobacco and wealthy heirs over regular Minnesotans.”
“To finish this session in an effective manner, Minnesota values need to be put to the front of the line. While the clock is ticking, I remain hopeful we can reach a compromise that is in the best interest of Minnesotans.”