Dear Neighbors,
The 2018 legislative session has concluded, and I’m writing to share my perspective on the outcomes. This past session was disappointing — there were a couple of modest accomplishments but many more missed opportunities.
First, the accomplishments. The Legislature passed a bipartisan capital investment bill investing more than a billion dollars in infrastructure — including safety improvements to school buildings, maintenance and construction on the campuses of the University of Minnesota and Minnesota’s State Colleges and Universities, wastewater treatment plants, flood hazard mitigation, local roads and bridges, historic Fort Snelling, parks and trails, libraries, zoos, and Minnesota’s correctional facilities, among others. The capital investment bill will create thousands of good paying jobs and will support our state’s economic health. Governor Dayton signed the bill, enacting it into law. This was one of the few bills where Republican legislative leaders worked effectively with the Governor, resulting in a new law, rather than a vetoed bill.The Legislature also passed a bill to reform and fund public pensions to ensure their long-term financial stability. The Governor signed this bill into law as well, and hundreds of thousands of workers will have a more secure retirement because of the new law.
Unfortunately, in many areas, Republican legislative leaders refused to work with Governor Dayton or ignored his input, which resulted in vetoed legislation and no progress.
Minnesotans asked legislators to make progress on numerous priorities this year including:
(1) address the opioid addiction and overdose epidemic;
(2) address the abuse and neglect of senior citizens in some assisted care facilities;
(3) make sure Minnesota’s tax law matches up with the huge overhaul of the federal tax code that passed in late 2017;
(4) protect employees in both the public and private sectors from sexual harassment in the workplace;
(5) work to prevent injuries and fatalities from distracted driving, and
(6) ensure Minnesotans are as safe as they can be from gun violence.
I was optimistic we would address these challenges because there isbroad public consensus about their importance, and both Republican and Democratic lawmakers were committed to making progress on each of them. Unfortunately, the Republican legislative leadership failed to negotiate with DFL Governor Mark Dayton and refused to allow bipartisan compromises on these issues to move forward.
Worse, Republican legislative leaders decided to put every single piece of critical legislation into one large “garbage” bill. The media nicknamed the bill #omnibusprime because it was like a cartoon character monster – weighing in at more than 990 pages and delivered just hours before the constitutional deadline for legislative adjournment. Legislators were not given enough time to even read the bill before they were called upon to vote for or against it.
Republican leaders crammed multiple provisions into the 990-page bill that Governor Dayton had repeatedly warned that he would veto. Thoughtful bipartisan solutions were ignored and omitted from the mammoth bill. Republican leaders poorly managed the twelve-week session, choosing to send one 990-page bill to the Governor at the 11th hour rather than sending 90 smaller bills throughout the session. Because of the poison pills crammed into the 990-page bill Republicans sent to his desk, Governor Dayton did exactly as he said he would and vetoed the bill. As a result, the 2018 session will go down in history as one of the least productive legislative sessions of all time.
Looking forward, I am hopeful that in the future Minnesota’s legislative leaders will understand and respect the role of the executive branch in law-making. The legislature’s job isn’t to pass bills – it is to make laws. In order for a bill to become law with multiple political parties leading the state, both Democrats and Republicans have to come together around compromise solutions. Legislative leaders cannot operate on the principle of “my way or the highway” and send “take it or leave it” bills to the Governor. Compromise is essential for progress. The Governor stood ready to negotiate. He and his staff provided hundreds of pages of input and dozens of hours of testimony throughout the legislative session. Unfortunately, Minnesota’s Republican legislative leaders chose conflict and confrontation over negotiation and resolution.
I hope that next session we will make progress on the important issues Minnesotans raised this year, as well as address the bread and butter issues essential to our state’s future success. We can build a Minnesota that works better for everyone if legislators ensure a world-class education for every child in Minnesota, training opportunities so Minnesotans can secure good-paying jobs, affordable and accessible health care throughout the state, and economic security for Minnesotans by making sure jobs pay livable wages and that employees can take leave to care for loved ones without the fear of losing their jobs.
I remain committed to working with both Democrats and Republicans to make Minnesota a state that works better for everyone. I look forward to visiting with you and other members of our community over the summer and fall about this important work.
Brooklyn Park Farmers Market
Starting in July, there will be a farmers market in Brooklyn Park at Zane Sports Park. More information can be found here.
Coon Rapids Summer Concert Series
Starting June 14, Coon Rapids will be hosting a summer concert series at the Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park. The Backyard Band will be performing. For a full list of events and more details, click here.
As always, please contact me anytime to share your views. My email address is rep.melissa.hortman@house.mn, my telephone number is 651 296 4280, and my State Representative Facebook page is at www.facebook.com/repmelissahortman/. If you forward this email to others, they can sign up for my e-updates by following this link.
Thank you and enjoy your summer!
Sincerely,
Melissa Hortman