Tag: Sen. Wiklund

Sen. Melissa Wiklund (SD50) Update: February 28, 2019


February Budget Forecast

The Minnesota state budget is required by our constitution to be balanced. This means that in order for the legislature to pass a budget, we need an accurate picture of our budget balance, and how it’s predicted to change. On February 28th, MN Management and Budget Com- missioner Myron Frans, State Economist Dr. Laura Kalambokidis, and State Budget Director Britta Reitan presented the most up-to-date estimate of our budget, referred to as the Budget Forecast.

Budget forecasts are re- leased periodically, most recently in November, with another coming in April. In November, the budget forecast showed a surplus of approximately $1.544 billion. The February forecast shows a surplus of $1.052 billion, a change of approximately $492 million.

Part of this change is due to revenue collections being slightly under prior estimates, with the largest driver being the individual income tax. The change in the budget forecast is also due to expectations of slower economic growth. Continue reading “Sen. Melissa Wiklund (SD50) Update: February 28, 2019”

Sen. Melissa Wiklund (SD50) Update: February 14, 2019

First Bills Introduced

We are now more than a month into the 2019 legislative session, and I’m excited to continue working

 

on issues that are important to Minnesotans. In addition to my work in committee, I’ve introduced several bills that cover a wide range of issues.

Some of my bills relate directly to our communities of Richfield and Bloomington. S.F. 108 is a grant for The Works museum in Bloomington, which provides opportunities for children and families to enjoy learning experiences related to science, technology, math, and engineering. S.F. 473 and S.F. 551 relate to tax measures that are important to the City of Bloomington. I also plan to introduce a bill that would fund a bonding request for the 77th St Underpass in Richfield. Since my time on the Bloomington School Board, early childhood education has been a focus of mine. S.F. 820, the Great Start for All Minnesota Children Act, addresses a wide range of early childhood investments. These include early learning scholarships, increasing the Child Care Assistance Program reimbursement rate, additional funding for voluntary pre-K, and childcare provider grants. This is the Senate companion bill to H.F. 1, one of the House majority’s top priorities. Continue reading “Sen. Melissa Wiklund (SD50) Update: February 14, 2019”

Sen. Melissa Wiklund (SD50) Update: January 31, 2019

Now that the legislative session is well under way, committees have begun to meet more regularly. The committees that I serve on cover a wide variety of issue areas and state departments, and the committee activity I’ve been a part of reflects that.

It’s common for committees to begin the legislative session with presentations from relevant state departments. On January 17th, the Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee heard from staff with the Department of Human Services regarding man- aged care procurement, and how the department determines which plans participate in public health programs. On the 22nd, we heard from the Department of Health regarding adverse childhood events, as well as hearing the first bill of the year, authored by Sen. Jerry Relph (R-St. Cloud).

Also on January 22nd, the Local Government Committee heard from the new Chair of the Metropolitan Council, Nora Slawik. Chair Slawik is a former legislator and mayor of Maple- wood, and I look forward to working with her to address the regional planning and infrastructure issues that the Met Council is responsible for. Continue reading “Sen. Melissa Wiklund (SD50) Update: January 31, 2019”

Sen. Melissa Wiklund (SD50) Update: January 17, 2019

91st Minnesota Legislature Convenes

On January 8th, the 91st Minnesota legislature convened at the State Capitol. All 134 Representatives were on the ballot last fall, and as a result, there are many new faces in St. Paul.

One of the bigger changes is that the House, which had a Republican majority since 2015, is now controlled by the DFL by a margin of 75-59. Our Senate District saw some change in representation in the House as well. Representative Linda Slo- cum did not seek re-election in 2018, and she was succeeded by Rep. Michael Howard (DFL- Richfield). I have worked with Rep. Howard in his capacity as a city council member, and I look forward to continuing that partnership to serve Richfield and Bloomington. Rep. Andrew Carlson (DFL-Bloomington) continues to represent the other side of our district.

Although the full Senate was not up for election last year, there has still been some turno- ver. As a result of then-Sen. Michelle Fischbach ascending to the office of Lt. Governor, there was a special election in Senate District 13, which was won by Sen. Jeff Howe (R-Rockville). Republicans, thus, still maintain a majority. Additionally, Sen. Tony Lourey (DFL-Kerrick) has been appointed by Governor Walz to serve as Commissioner of the Department of Human Services, which creates a vacancy from his district, which will be filled by a special election inFebruary. Continue reading “Sen. Melissa Wiklund (SD50) Update: January 17, 2019”