Tri-County News

Week in Review May 29, 2015


After lengthy budget negotiations between the governor and legislative leaders of both parties, the legislature finished its business and adjourned on time. The House and Senate passed all of the budget bills necessary to fund state government for the next biennium.

In the days before adjournment, Governor Dayton expressed concern regarding the E-12 education bill, but the other bills were expected to be signed into law. Since then he did veto two additional bills.

These are the bills vetoed by the governor

?Ä¢ The agriculture, environment, and natural resources finance bill funded avian flu disaster relief, the Pollution Control Agency, Department of Agriculture, and other state agencies. It passed 83-50 in the House and 35-30 in the Senate.

?Ä¢ The jobs and energy bill appropriated money for workforce housing grants, job training grants, and rural career counseling. It also funds state agencies involved with economic and workforce development, labor and industry, housing, commerce, and energy. It passed 75-9 in the House and 34-29 in the Senate.

?Ä¢ The E-12 education finance bill appropriated $1.3 billion more to schools than the previous budget, and included new money for early childhood education programs like need-based scholarships. It also added new requirements for student literacy and addressed the teacher shortage. It passed 71-59 in the House and 52-14 in the Senate.

In response to the governor?Äôs vetoes, budget negotiations have reopened. The governor and the Speaker of the House, Kurt Daudt have been meeting this week to discuss the issues of concern and reach a compromise. One main issue in negotiations revolves around the governor?Äôs proposal to fund universal public preschool for 4-year-olds across the state. This approach has been highly criticized by early education experts and school boards as unrealistic, expensive, and not geared toward the children who truly need it. Childcare providers have also warned of higher costs for children ages 0-3 and fewer childcare options for parents if this proposal becomes law.

An agreement must be reached and a special session be held to pass the remaining budget bills before July 1 to avoid a partial government shutdown.

In addition, a bonding bill and the Legacy bill were passed by only one body before adjournment, and did not become law. These bills may also be addressed during special session.

The governor signed the Health and Human Services Bill, State Government Finance bill, Judiciary and Public Safety bill, Transportation bill, Higher Education bill, the Pension bill and the LCCMR bill.

Senator Michelle Fischbach encourages and appreciates constituent input and can be reached by phone at (651) 296-2084, by mail to G 15 State Office Building / St. Paul, MN 55155 or via e-mail at sen.michelle.fischbach@senate.mn.

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