Welcome to week eighteen. Four months ago, the Senate majority leaders promised accountability and that legislative work would take place in committees, in the light of day. Earlier this week they seemed to forget those promises, and abandoned all attempts at compromising with the Governor.
With no public notice, Republicans signed finalized conference committee bills. Most of these conference committees have not taken public testimony, and provided dark-of-night notice of the early morning hearings that took place on Tuesday this week.
This isn’t the way Minnesotans expect their government to run, nor is it what democracy looks like. For Minnesotans, this late-night mischief means we have no say in the $1.5 billion that is being rolled out the door.
Tuesday night the Senate Majority passed the environment and natural resources finance, education finance, state government, and health and human services bills. My colleagues and I were vocal in our disdain for not only the process, but the inadequate level of funding in the bills as well as the bad policies that many argue will hurt Minnesotans.
Governor Dayton has promised to veto all of these bills that were buttoned up in the middle of the night, which will make for a busy final week of session.
The Senate still needs to pass its taxes, transportation, higher education, and judiciary budget bills. In their current forms, the Governor has promised vetoes of all of them.
This weekend the Governor is spending time with both Republican leaders for the state’s fishing opener weekend.
Session will end on May 22.
Sincerely,
John Hoffman
What is happening in the Capitol?
Governor Dayton Vetoes Budget Bills
Governor Dayton vetoed the budget bills that were passed Tuesday. These include the agriculture, environment and natural resources, e-12, state government and health and human services bill.
Governor Dayton saved his strongest language for the Health and Human Services bill. He called it “reckless and foolish” to be cutting $505 million dollars from their budget when the state started with a $1.6 billion dollar surplus to start the year. I was disappointed with this budget as well and I agree with Governor Dayton’s decision to veto the bill.
The Senate and House majorities will need to come back this week to hammer out a deal with the Governor’s office if we are to avoid a special session.
Minnesota values early childhood education, but the Senate budget cuts Pre-K
Early learning teachers from around Minnesota this week discussed the value of pre-K and the problems posed to their districts by the proposed Republican education plan. Despite a $1.65 billion surplus, Republicans are cutting voluntary, public pre-K funding across the state. Governor Dayton has called for a $175 million increase in funding.
Chris Messer is a kindergarten teacher in Barnesville, and past president of the Minnesota Kindergarten Association. Barnesville offers half-day pre-K for $100 a month for two days a week and $145 a month for three, in addition to what families already pay for daycare. Messer advocated for more pre-K investment, not less.
She argues that universal pre-K would remove discriminating tuition costs and free up district resources for more staff. She adds that the benefits of a quality pre-K experience need to be made available to all Minnesota students.
Kimberly Antonsen is a preschool teacher in the Waubun-Ogema-White Earth school district. Thanks to voluntary pre-K funding, they added a new preschool classroom and teacher and now provide all-day, everyday preschool to 51 children. Cuts to pre-K funding would threaten this success.
She told the audience, “In our rural area, it’s necessary to have all-day pre-K because most families do not work nearby.”
The teachers were joined by legislators who agreed early childhood education benefits kids—particularly in Greater Minnesota— and that with a budget surplus, cuts to pre-K and early learning are the wrong choice.
Met Council restructuring bill passes the Senate
A bill seeking to restructure the Metropolitan Council was passed off the Senate floor Monday evening, with a 34-32 party-line vote. If signed, the bill as amended would make significant changes to the composition of the Met Council, bringing the number of serving individuals to 28 members, up from its current number of 17.
In addition to the membership increase is a complete revamp of the council’s membership composition. Rather than being comprised solely of gubernatorial appointments, the new council would include one locally elected official appointed by a municipal committee of each Met Council district; one county commissioner from each of the 7 metropolitan counties – Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington; the commissioner of transportation or a designee; three members appointed by the commissioner to represent non-motorized transportation, freight transportation, and public transit; and a gubernatorially appointed chair.
Supporters of the legislation contend the changes will bring accountability to the council, as its current composition of gubernatorial appointees has regional taxation authority without being elected by the regions’ residents. Opponents argue having elected officials on the Met Council would bring with it several conflicts of interest, as they would be acting in incompatible positions as both the regulator and as the regulated. The bill has been sent to the House, where it was referred to Ways and Means. The language for this bill is also included in the transportation finance conference committee report.
100-mile trek for higher education
Minnesota House and Senate DFL legislators stood in unity with Minnesota State University students on their 100-mile walk from Minnesota State Mankato to the Capitol to raise awareness of the need for affordable higher education.
The Minnesota State student walkers say lawmakers need to realize the impact their decisions make on higher education affordability and access – and the future of Minnesota. According to the group, the average student debt in Minnesota is nearly $32,000, the fifth highest in the nation. In addition, students have yearly increases in tuition and budget cuts on their minds. This week they walked the walk to talk about it.
The students, who represent Mankato, Moorhead, Bemidji, Winona, and St. Cloud, left Minnesota State Mankato on Sunday morning and walked for four days to reach the State Capitol on Wednesday. Legislators walked with the students for the last leg of their journey in solidarity for increased higher education funding.
DFL women meet with Gov. Dayton to talk about issues important to women
More than 30 DFL women legislators met with Governor Mark Dayton and Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith to talk about three important women’s issues in the closing days of the legislative session: protecting minimum wage and paid family leave by vetoing the preemption bill, keeping the Office of the Economic Status of Women funded, and protecting our clean and fair elections by opposing the elimination of the public finance program.
For far too many women, the challenge of making ends meet and caring for their families is a daily struggle. Despite trying to make progress on important economic security issues, women too frequently continue to earn less than men, face consequences because of caregiving responsibilities, and lack access to workplace policies that offer greater flexibility and paid leave options. They believe if we make progress on these three key issues, we can help drive a more stable path toward greater economic security for women in Minnesota.
If you have any questions or concerns feel free to call my office at 651-296-4154 or by e-mail at jhoffman@senate.mn
