Welcome to week sixteen. The Senate Republicans released their targets this morning and I am disappointed with what I see. When Governor Dayton took over 6 years ago, we had frequent budget deficits and an unwillingness to compromise. Governor Dayton and the DFL majority decided to fix this by taxing the top 2% of Minnesotans and ended up with balanced budgets for the past 4 years. The current Senate and House majorities have inherited this balanced budget and their proposals are going to undo this and result in the State of Minnesota having a deficit next biennium.
Their education targets result in a 1.5 percent increase in the formula, below the 2 percent increase per year on the formula needed to account for inflation or population growth. Health and Human Services funding is cut by $505 million. The current transportation funding increase would not even keep up with highway maintenance fees, if spent on that alone. In fact Senator Dibble said “I’m annoyed I need to respond, this is a pathetic bill for transportation. It leaves Minnesotans abandoned and stranded.” Their targets for higher education would result in an increase of 4 to 5% of tuition for students at the University of Minnesota.
While the Senate majority leader and House speaker were working on targets, the conference committees have been keeping a fairly busy schedule. They were taking a look at items that are similar in both House and Senate bills. Now that they have targets they can finish up their work.
We have three weeks left of session to accomplish passing a two-year budget for Minnesotans.
While the budget negotiations were ongoing, both DFLers and Republicans are asking the House when or if they will release a bonding bill. The Senate released its bonding bill back in January. Bonding pays for critical state-owned infrastructure including buildings on college campuses, waste water infrastructure, parks and trails, airport and railway upgrades, economic development projects and much more. It is my hope that a bonding bill will ultimately pass which includes the Champlin Mill Pond and Hanson rail crossing projects I have been working on.
Starting January 2018, Minnesotans will need Real ID licenses to get on an aircraft, otherwise they’ll need to show a passport to board. Real ID-compliant driver’s licenses are already required to gain access to certain federal facilities, military bases, and nuclear power plants.
Both the House and the Senate have passed their versions of the Real ID bill and the joint conference committee is working on what path Minnesota will take to comply with the federal rules.
Thanks to the Senate DFL, the Senate bill does not contain unnecessary and duplicative language regarding non-compliant licenses for undocumented immigrants. In contrast, the House bill requires applicants to demonstrate lawful status even to obtain a non-compliant license. Undocumented immigrants are already unable to receive driver’s licenses in Minnesota due to a 2003 administrative rule.
The intent and the direction of the Senate is to send a neutral bill to the Governor and not mix immigration and the issuance of Real ID together. It is not yet certain if the conference committee will pass a clean bill containing no controversial language.
With only three weeks left in the legislative session, I remain hopeful negotiators will compromise and the Real ID bill signed into law will not include unnecessary restrictions against undocumented immigrants receiving driver’s licenses.
Sincerely,
John Hoffman
What is happening at the Capitol?
Omnibus Legacy bill passes Senate, moves next to conference committee
The omnibus legacy bill was approved Monday by the full Senate on a vote of 52-12. The bill appropriates biennial funding of $529 million from the four legacy funds established by the “Legacy Amendment” that was approved by Minnesota’s voters in 2008.
The bill maintains the recommendations of the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council for appropriations from the outdoor heritage fund, retains the current 40:40:20 distribution for parks and trails (40% to the DNR for state parks and trails, 40% to the Metropolitan Council for metro area parks and trails, and 20% to greater Minnesota parks and trails), and establishes an ongoing 5% fund balance in each of the four funds.
Some environmental groups and clean water advocates, are concerned about the clean water fund portion of the bill that shifts $22 million in grants to the state’s 90 soil and water conservation districts to help with buffer compliance. In 2015, legislators funded this work with clean water fund money, but said future funding, beginning in 2017, would come from the state’s general fund. An amendment to reverse that position and instead fully fund the recommendations of the state’s Clean Water Council failed on a vote of 30-35. I voted in favor of the amendment.
The Senate bill continues to fund buffer compliance work from the clean water fund, which critics say violates the spirit of the Legacy Amendment and means deep cuts to several clean water programs that would otherwise be funded, including drinking water and groundwater protections. The bill moves next to a joint Senate and House conference committee to work out differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill.
Proposed transit cuts would be deep, opposite of what is needed
There was a conference committee hearing late last week at the State Capitol on transportation funding. This committee is working out the differences between the House and Senate omnibus transportation bills. These bills proposed by the Senate and House majorities end up cutting transit services for Minnesota. The current proposal is to fund metro transit at current levels. This ends up being a cut for metro transit as they are currently operating at a net loss of 40% from this year. If the current proposal goes through Metro Transit predicts a 17% reduction in service and increased ticket fees.
The conference committee was opened up to about 60 testifiers. Many of the testifiers expressed concern that the bill’s cuts would affect people with disablities, elderly, and low-income people, making it difficult to travel to everyday destinations like work, doctors appointments and the grocery store. It would also decrease the affordability of the ride for people who are struggling financially.
With a growing population and a surplus, now is the time we should be talking about expanding transit. Cutting transit simply makes it harder for those with low-income to find and keep a job, as well as decreases the economic growth of our state.
Chief Supreme Court Justice testifies against judiciary budget
In a rare appearance by a chief justice, Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea testified against the House and Senate judiciary budget bills in conference committee. She asked the members to reconsider their budget target and provide adequate funding to maintain state court system access for all Minnesotans.
Gildea reminded committee members that the courts are a vital part of the government’s basic functions. She also testified that the judicial branch is not a mere state agency, but a vital branch of state government. She stressed that public safety is jeopardized when we do not have a fully-funded, functioning judiciary system.
The judicial branch is seeking a $51.4 million increase over its current funding levels to be used to process cases in a timely manner, upgrade cybersecurity measures, attract judges to serve with salary increases, and ensure access to justice. Governor Mark Dayton included the full amount in his budget proposal. The House and Senate bills provided only partial increases. (SF 803)
Senate Bonding Committee holds hearings
Over the course of this past week the Senate Capital Investment Committee heard several bills and agency testimony from the Housing Finance Agency and the Public Finance Authority. The Senate bonding bill has been on the floor for several weeks. However, a bonding bill must originate in the House before it can be taken up by the Senate per the Minnesota Constitution.
At this time, Republicans in the House have not released their bonding bill. Because we are getting short on time, I fear that last minute wrangling will fail to produce a bonding bill that will pass with the support of Governor Dayton. I have the mill pond project completion in the Senate bill. It would be a huge loss for Champlin to not get the House bill done.
Members with these concerns point to last session, where the House failed to produce a bonding bill until the last minutes of the legislative session. In their haste, they produced a bill littered with errors that ultimately failed to reach Governor Dayton. By having discussions now, members hope to avoid last minute deals that shutout the public and many legislators. (SF 210)
Champlin Mill Pond Wins award
CS McCrossan, a general contracting and construction company, recently was awarded the Alliant Build America Award for Utility Infrastructure Renovation for their work on the Elm Creek Dam.
The Elm Creek Dam, originally built in 1936, sits on the shores of the Mississippi River in Champlin and outlived its safe use life. This was clear by the deteriorating trail systems around the strucuture, the unsafe means of operation and inability to handle flood stage water levels. The DNR had in fact, named it a hazardous dam structure.
If you want to read more about the contstrution of the Champlin Mill Pond. You can read the full story here: https://pressnews.com
Vikings Stadium authority reform bill passes Senate floor
A bill passed the Senate this week to alter the structure of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, which is responsible for the operations of U.S. Bank Stadium. The authority would remain a five member commission, with three members appointed by the Governor and two appointed by the mayor of Minneapolis, but all members would require confirmation by the Senate. The two appointments by the mayor of Minneapolis would also require confirmation by the Senate.
The bill allows the Office of the Legislative Auditor to conduct examinations of the authority’s finances, budgets, and operations, and also allows the auditor to examine the authority’s use of stadium space by members, staff, family, friends, charitable organizations, and vendors. The auditor began an investigation into the use of the suites after a November article in the Star Tribune and determined the authority violated a core ethical principle by allowing family and friends to use the suite for non-marketing purposes.
The authority may negotiate limited access to suites for legitimate business purposes, which include participating in a marketing event arranged by the stadium’s vendor, conducting oversight of stadium operations, and making the stadium available to nonprofit charitable organizations for the people served by the organization. Use of the stadium for non-business purposes is prohibited for commission members, staff, and their family and friends. (H.F. 778)
Forced to bring in the Guard
Minnesota has worked hard to provide incentives for people to join the National Guard. However, the state government funding bill contains some concerning budget reductions and shifts cutting enlistment bonuses and tuition for guard members and could force eventual closure of some greater Minnesota armories. The current House and Senate budget proposals fall more than $11.7 million short of the funding levels recommended by Governor Dayton. These funds would have covered tuition and other bonus programs for the next two years.
Both the House and Senate funding levels, if passed into law, would result in restriction of enlistment and re-enlistment incentives and would reduce the level of tuition reimbursement for our service members. These cuts will affect more than 1,900 Minnesota National Guard members.
Additionally, the Senate plan cuts another $6 million from the agency’s budget that was supposed to pay for upkeep on aging buildings and maintaining military vehicles. This reduction would be used to pay for other parts of the military’s budget.
The cut forces the Department of Military Affairs to pit taking care of our National Guard members against maintaining our military facilities and the safety of our state.
A senior officer of Minnesota’s National Guard, Major General Richard Nash, wrote a letter to the chair of the veterans committee.
The Major General stated that he would “. strongly urge you [the chair of the committee] to reconsider the current path, and fund the Department of Military Affairs at the level and in the fashion recommended by the Governor.”
The Department’s funding bill was wrapped into the State Government Finance bill which is working its way through the conference committee process over the next few weeks. I will be committed to supporting the request of the departments. (SF 605)
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