Tag: Sen. Newton

Legislative Deadlines

Last Week, Governor Tim Walz, Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman, and Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka announced additional deadlines for the legislature. The House and Senate always have deadlines for bills to move through the committee process, but these new and additional benchmarks will help ensure more of the end of session negotiations happen earlier, and provide more transparency for the public.

Under these new rules, fiscal targets will be provided to conference committees by May 6th. In past years, the Governor, Senate leader, and Speaker have failed to provide fiscal targets to conference committees in time for the conference committees to complete their work in open committee by the end of session. Conference committee reports need to be completed by May 13th, and the 2019 legislative session must adjourn by May 20th at Midnight.

Too often in recent years, the budget process has ended in what looks like a high-stakes poker game with the state’s top leaders making decisions behind closed doors. Minnesotans deserve better. The announced agreement puts us on a path to have more of the budget conversations in public, to have more legislators involved in the bill drafting process, and to end session on time. Continue reading “Sen. Jerry Newton (SD37) Update: February 22, 2019”

Minnesota’s School Counselor Crisis

Friends and Neighbors,

I introduced a bill this week to increase the number of counselors and cap the counselor to student ratio for Minnesota’s students. The legislation, S.F. 431, addresses the persistent challenges faced by thousands of students in Minnesota who are unable to get necessary counseling support.

This legislation is a vital step in ensuring our students have support services available to them if they are experiencing personal and emotional turmoil.  It is essential that these students have somewhere to turn if they face a mental health crisis.  The shortage of these support services affects thousands of students in not only their class work, but in their home lives and can prevent them from reaching their full potential.  More school counselors will have a tremendous positive effect on our students.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in five children nationwide shows signs or symptoms of a mental health disorder such as anxiety, depression or even substance abuse. While the average counselor to student ratio in the United States is 450-to-1, Minnesota’s ratio is 748-to-1, one of the worst ratios in the nation. This bill mandates a ratio of 400-to-1 and would increase funding for school counselor aid, bringing more counselors into each school district, allowing more students to meet with them to discuss a wide variety of issues; issues that right now are frequently going un-addressed.

If you have any questions or wish to unsubscribe from this Newsletter please feel free to contact my office at 651-296-2556 or by email at sen.jerry.newton@senate.mn.

Thank you and have a great weekend,

Jerry Newton

State Senator

District 37

Senator Jerry Newton responds to expected budgetary balance

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) announced last week a budgetary balance of $1.544 billion in the new biennium and $456 million in the following biennium. MMB experts warn economic growth will start to slow in the years ahead.

“While I am happy to see the state doing so well, a large portion of this budgetary balance is one-time money,” said Sen. Jerry Newton, DFL-Coon Rapids. “We cannot afford to make ongoing investments with one-time money. Instead we should be discussing where we can spend one-time money that will make a real difference – places like the Minneapolis veterans’ home and our veterans’ homes across the state that are in need of repair.”

“This budgetary balance allows us to have meaningful discussions about strategic investments that help all Minnesotans. We owe that to Minnesota’s seniors, students, working families, farmers, and veterans across the state,” continued Senator Newton. Continue reading “Sen. Jerry Newton (SD37) Update: December 10, 2018”

For Safer Schools, We Need More Than Metal Detectors

It is my pleasure to welcome all K-12 students in the Anoka-Hennepin, Spring Lake Park, and Centennial public school districts back to the classroom. Back-to-school season is a fresh opportunity to set new goals, make new friends, and celebrate new academic and extracurricular achievements. All of those things, however, are not possible if Minnesota’s youth do not feel safe as they sit in class.

In response to mass shootings that occurred just months ago at high schools in Texas and Florida, students in Minnesota organized peaceful demonstrations at our State Capitol, held one-on-one meetings with legislators, and attracted significant media attention. I encourage them to remain engaged in the political process and help legislators shape next session’s school safety budget and related public policies.

This year’s legislative session resulted in a $25 million appropriation for grants that school districts can tap to finance security improvements to their facilities, such as installing bulletproof glass or special building entry systems. When the grant application period began on August 29, the Minnesota Department of Education received more than $250 million in requests. You do the math. Continue reading “Sen. Jerry Newton Update: October 1, 2018”

Minnesota Needs All-of-the-Above Strategy to Address Addiction

State lawmakers this year invested significant time into addressing rampant opioid addiction, but according to a new report from the Center for Rural Policy and Development, Minnesota is facing an “addiction crisis” that is larger in scope than any single drug. The report, published June 2018, says that meth is a growing cause for concern, especially in Greater Minnesota.

In response to soaring meth use in the early 2000s, the Legislature restricted consumers’ ability to purchase cold and allergy medicine containing an ingredient called pseudoephedrine. Around the same time, the United States Congress passed the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act to regulate retail sales of products, including pseudoephedrine, used to manufacture illegal drugs. As a result, meth use declined for years. However, meth smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico border is fueling a major comeback in recent years. Continue reading “Sen. Jerry Newton Update: August 29, 2018:”

Week In Review

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

The Legislature faces a May 21st constitutional deadline to complete its work, meaning only 3 weeks remain to have public discussion on a wide range of proposals that will impact nearly every Minnesotan in one form or another.

Yesterday the Senate passed a supplemental budget on a vote of 34-31.  There are some good things in this bill, but I ultimately voted against it.  This bill weakens collective bargaining rights, tells teachers what they can and can’t say in their classrooms, and cuts funding from crucial services. The Legislature has a lot of work to do to help build the state all Minnesotans deserve. Continue reading “Sen. Jerry Newton (SD37) Update: April 27, 2018”

Friends and Neighbors,

The first policy deadline of the 2018 legislative session was yesterday at Midnight. Bills that weren’t heard in either the Senate or the House will not move forward this session, with the exception of finance bills, tax bills, and bonding bills.

The second policy deadline for bills is Thursday, March 29th. Policy bills must be heard in both the House and the Senate by this date to move forward. The third deadline is Friday, April 20th. All finance bills will need to be heard and passed. Continue reading “Sen. Jerry Newton (SD37) Update: March 23, 2018”

Friends and Neighbors,

As 2017 draws to a close, I would just like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season.  I plan to spend time with my family and friends as I get ready for the 2018 Legislative Session.

I was encouraged this past year by our community involvement on issues such as health care, transportation, education, Real ID, and the environment.  I want to thank all of you for reaching out to my office to voice your concerns and for staying engaged in the political process.  I truly value all your viewpoints. Continue reading “Sen. Jerry Newton Update (SD37): December 21, 2017”