Tag: Minnesota House

E-12 Education Conference Committee to hold public hearing this morning

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Co-Chair Rep. Jim Davnie (DFL- Minneapolis) will continue to highlight education investments in the House budget proposal at the House/Senate E-12 Education Conference Committee meeting this afternoon at 11:30 a.m.

WHAT: Meeting of the House/Senate Conference Committee on the E-12 Budget bill, HF 2400
WHO: Co-Chair Jim Davnie committee members
WHERE: Room 5, State Office Building
WHEN: 11:30 a.m., Friday, May 10

The House DFL E-12 budget makes honest investments in every student in every public school with a 3% per-pupil funding increase in 2020, and another 2% in 2021. The House education budget also addresses special education funding shortfalls, enables schools to hire more student support staff, gives schools more tools to recruit and retain teachers of color, protects access to voluntary pre-K for over 4,000 Minnesota’s earliest learners, and expands post-secondary opportunities for high school students.

The Senate GOP budget’s inadequate 0.5% increases would lead to larger class sizes and teacher layoffs.

Live video of the hearing will be available here.

Minnesota House passes bill regulating pharmaceutical middle men

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – The Minnesota House today approved Representative Alice Mann’s bill (H.F. 728) to lower the cost of prescription drugs by regulating, requiring transparency from, and creating fiduciary responsibilities for Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), which serve as pharmaceutical middle men.

“We can’t let a key player in an industry that represents nearly a fifth of our economy operate in obscurity,” said Rep. Alice Mann (DFL-Lakeville). “We have a responsibility to increase transparency and accountability in health care to make sure that Minnesotans can afford the medications they need to survive.”

PBMs are a middle man between drug manufacturers and pharmacies, developing and maintaining lists of covered drugs (formularies) that they offer to pharmacies. Drug manufacturers give PBMs rebates – or kickbacks – to encourage the PBM to place their product on the formulary, with no guarantee that the rebate will be passed on to consumers. Higher rebates incentivize PBMs to remove less expensive drugs from formularies, and encourage companies to raise list prices. All of this raises the price of prescription drugs. Continue reading “Minnesota House passes bill regulating pharmaceutical middle men”

Statement from House DFL Leadership on visit by President Trump

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Majority Leader Ryan Winkler released the following statements ahead of today’s visit by President Trump:

“President Trump’s visit is a reminder to Minnesotans that the Trump tax law gave massive tax cuts to corporations and the wealthy while many Minnesotans have watched their refunds disappear,” said House Speaker Melissa Hortman. “Republican tax preferences to the wealthy and corporations have fueled a rise in income inequality and decreased investment in public services. House DFLers are working to restore tax fairness. We’re asking corporations and the wealthy to pay their fair share so we can make needed investments to build a state that works for everyone.”

“We can’t invest in our schools, health care, transportation, and other priorities by cutting taxes for corporations and the wealthy, but that’s what President Trump and Republicans continue to do,” said House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler. “President Trump should spend his time in Minnesota talking to the working families who his tax bill has hurt the most.”

Governor Walz Signs ‘Hands Free’ Legislation into Law

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – On April 12, Governor Tim Walz signed the compromise ‘hands free’ legislation into law. Minnesota will be the 17th state, plus the District of Columbia, to require a ‘hands free’ device while driving beginning August 1, 2019.

Representative Frank Hornstein, chief author of the bill and the Chair of the House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee released the following statement:

“This work has been twenty years in the making,” remarked Rep. Hornstein. “The safety advocates and families of victims truly deserve all of the recognition for their hard work in getting this legislation passed. I’m glad we could make this a reality in a bipartisan, transparent way to keep all Minnesotans safe on our roadways.” Continue reading “Governor Walz Signs ‘Hands Free’ Legislation into Law”

House Capital Investment Division Approves Public Works Proposal

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — The House Capital Investment Division approved the DFL Majority’s package of public works projects this week. The legislation includes $1.5 billion in General Obligation bonds that makes significant investments in every corner of our state to help Minnesotans and their communities.

“Our comprehensive and geographically balanced bonding proposal will connect Minnesotans across the state and fix the ongoing infrastructure problems,” said Chair Mary Murphy (DFL-Hermantown). “With a positive state budget forecast and with bond interest rates still low, now is the time to make these fiscally responsible investments.”

These investments cover a wide range of issues that include but are not limited to: ensuring children can get to school safely; fixing incomplete road connections; honoring Minnesota veterans; ensuring access to clean water; caring for our natural resources; making updates to colleges and universities; preserving state assets; and delivering local economies the support they need to thrive. A spreadsheet of the bill’s contents can be found here.

House Legacy Division Completes Budget Legislation

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA— Yesterday, the House Legacy Finance Division, chaired by Rep. Leon Lillie (DFL – North St. Paul), finalized the committee’s omnibus finance bill (HF 653). The legislation passed through committee unanimously. The next stop for the bill is Ways and Means.

A spreadsheet of the bill’s contents can be found here.

“Minnesotans care about our state and cherish the things that make it such a special place to live,” said Rep. Lillie. “Despite being in the midst of a recession, voters overwhelmingly supported the adoption of the Legacy Amendment in 2008, and they’ve seen great returns on that investment in the past decade. This bill will continue the great work that’s been done across the state thanks to Legacy funds and preserve our state’s abundant natural resources and rich heritage for future generations of Minnesotans.” Continue reading “House Legacy Division Completes Budget Legislation”

Statement from Rep. Hornstein on Passage of ‘Hands Free’ Conference Committee Report

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – The Minnesota House of Representatives today passed the final, compromise ‘hands free’ bill after differences were reconciled with the Minnesota Senate. Notable differences include removal of the House provision that would enact a traffic stop demographics study and removal of the Senate provision to allow head scarves, hijabs and other headwear as an allowable mechanism to achieve hands free mode.

Representative Frank Hornstein, chief author of the bill and the Chair of the House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee released the following statement:

“With distracted driving fatalities continually on the rise, Minnesotans deserve common sense safety measures to combat these preventable tragedies. I’m glad we could pass this long overdue bill in a bipartisan fashion to help make our roadways safer for everyone.” 

The Governor is expected to promptly sign the conference committee report this week, making Minnesota the 18thstate to require a ‘hands free’ device while driving.

Speaker Hortman Works for Session Transparency

On April 8, Speaker Hortman sent a letter to Majority Leader Gazelka asking to come together with her for a public discussion of budget targets as this legislative session moves towards its end: Continue reading “Speaker Hortman Works for Session Transparency”

House DFL Majority Announces New Tax Bill

Three-fourths of new revenue is invested in E-12 education

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – The House DFL Majority today announced a tax bill that would raise $1.2 billion in new revenue, largely by taxing corporations’ foreign profits, and invest it in education, health care, and safe and inclusive communities. The proposal comes as large corporations and the wealthy own increasing amounts of our economy, and destructive Republican budgets harm family economic security and limit opportunities for our children.

To download a fact sheet about the tax bill, click here.

To download a copy of the tax bill spreadsheet, click here.

To download a copy of the entire tax bill, click here.

“With this bill, we are leveling the playing field for working families, farmers, small businesses, and senior citizens,” said Rep. Paul Marquart (DFL-Dilworth), Chair of the House Tax Committee. “Democrats are making Minnesota’s tax system fairer, we’re bringing in new revenue to build a great future, and we’re providing real tax reform, including greater transparency and accountability. This bill is a winner for the taxpayer.” Continue reading “House DFL Majority Announces New Tax Bill”