CAPITOL UPDATE MAY 5, 2017
STRIB POLLING RESULTS: A Star Tribune polls published this week proved, once again, that a healthy majority support light rail transit and an overwhelming number in the metro area (despite elevated rhetoric to the contrary). Another shows a healthy majority agreeing that local control is preferable for Minnesotans. See all the Star Tribune poll results from this week here.
PERPICH CENTER: As many of you know, The Perpich Center for Arts Education has been in a transition period responding to a recent difficult Legislative Auditor report. The new administrative stewards are working swiftly to address the audit’s concerns. Legislators always understood the audit to be instructive on how to improve the institution for the students, alumnus, and art educators with policy solutions. However, some in the majority are now misusing the informative audit for political posturing.
The House E-12 Conference Committee has included a provision that quietly shutters the more than thirty-year-old school. It has finally started to receive media attention, but has mostly taken a backseat to the larger budget negotiation conflict. We do not know definitively if this is a partisan tactic to gain leverage. If so, it unfairly jeopardizes the futures of many young artistically-gifted students from across the state. The move disregards the stakeholders, who have been unable to provide input or voice support. If you have the time, please contact the E-12 Senate and House conferees, especially the chairs Representative Jennifer Loon and Senator Carla Nelson and let them know playing partisan games with students’ futures is unacceptable.
INTERNET PRIVACY: In late March, I offered internet privacy protection language to the Senate Jobs bill. It was only one day after the disappointing move by the United States Congress to reverse the internet service provider’s privacy regulations. It was adopted overwhelmingly, 66 – 1. Using the internet has become such a core function of our productive lives—it is completely unacceptable for powerful corporate ISPs to track our online use and then sell the data to the highest bidder without our permission. Minnesotans from all over the state agreed and let us know! Subsequently, legislators and reporters from coast to coast have called our office to ask about this groundbreaking idea and how they could implement it in their state. Unfortunately, as of now, the internet privacy provision is in serious jeopardy. The Jobs Conference Committee decided to leave it out of the committee report. I continue to work with Represenative Paul Thissen to get the provision reinstated!
CONTROVERSY: We have a $1.65 billion surplus in the state, but you would not know by looking at the proposed slash and burn budgets chock full of gimmicks. With two weeks left before the constitutionally required adjournment, I am growing increasingly concerned about the legislative majorities taking untenable budget positions that are irreconcilable with the Governor. The 609 policy provisions are still bandied about in funding bills, many that the Governor has either explicitly said he cannot support or vetoed previously. Residents of Senate District 46 would like this session to end on time, avoid a political showdown, and avert a state shutdown. Partisan games in St. Paul are not in the best interest of the state.
Additionally, there have been contentious policy issues so far, such as diminishing worker’s rights, loosening of environmental protections, severely under-funding our public schools, and cruelly slashing transit funding. The disregard for greater metro area investments is alarming—the metro economy is the workhorse of the state, providing necessary resources for the rest of the state.
The pre-emption bill that removes local government’s policy control, tightly passed the Senate and has been controversial from day one. Additionally, environmental protections are slowly eroding away—giving way to exceptions to reviews and exemptions to reasonable oversight. We all want to reduce red tape for businesses but protecting natural resources including our water sources long-term takes precedence over any short-term monetary gain.
EDUCATION: Last, but certainly not least, our public education system has continued to take a back seat this session. Private school neo-vouchers to the tune of $36 million that the Governor has stated he will not support are contained in the tax bill. The current budgets under-fund our education systems, from pre-k to higher ed. The do not even keep up with inflation. Returning to a disproportionate reliance on local communities relying on property taxes for schools is a real possibility with this current E-12 budget.
LEGISLATION: Despite legislative divisiveness this session, I am proud to share some of my bi-partisan legislative initiatives still in the mix:
- Police and firefighters civil service commission modernization legislation
- Prohibition of GPS technology in ignition interlock devices
- Increased transparency for public safety agencies on stating their defense tech capabilities and functions
- St. Louis Park tax-increment-financing (TIF) district authorization
- Minnesota State Bar Association legislation to update interstate non-profit regulations (passed into law)
Senator Ann H. Rest and me celebrating her birthday in the Minnesota Senate Building lobby. As many of you already know, she represents the neighboring Senate District 45. She is incredibly knowledgeable about tax policy and parliamentary procedure, a great colleague and friend.
Photo with our Spring session intern Adi Penugonda. It was his final day at the Capitol on Wednesday this week and we were incredibly fortunate to have him with us this session.
Meeting with constituents on AFSCME Day on the Hill. Thank you all for coming!