Terri Bonoff

Senate Votes to Accept Federal Stimulus Funding

The Minnesota Senate passed legislation this week to ensure Minnesota is eligible to take advantage of federal stimulus funding for laid-off workers and for clean water infrastructure projects.  The funding is available as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and  includes more than $130 million for Minnesota’s Unemployment Insurance system, and an additional $107 million to construct and improve drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities in the state.

Before the state can receive the federal funding, the Legislature needs to enact conforming language that meets specific guidelines laid out by Congress in the ARRA.  The Senate’s action this week puts the Legislature on the path to meeting these requirements and bringing these critical dollars to the state.

The potential for new funding for the state’s unemployment system comes at a critical time, as Minnesota’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund is nearly depleted.  If the fund does run dry – which it is projected to do by the end of the year – it will force the state to borrow funds from the federal government in order to continue making payments to laid-off workers.

The clean water infrastructure funding will provide about $83 million for regional drinking water treatment projects and $25 million for regional wastewater treatment projects.  The funding will be used to partner with local governments on funding these important community infrastructure needs, reducing the burden on local taxpayers.  Also included in the bill is a requirement that at least 20% of the new funding must be used for projects that address green infrastructure, energy and water efficiency improvements, or other environmentally-innovative activities.

Senate Education Committee Passes 2009 Omnibus Bill

The Senate E12 Education committee took up a bill on Thursday that would accomplish necessary cuts to education funding in light of the multi-billion dollar budget deficit faced by the state this biennium. The Senate Budget Proposal includes an across-the-board cut of 7 percent to all areas. Funding from the stimulus package mitigated the impact on education, reducing cuts from 7 percent down to 3.2 percent. Still, this was an incredibly difficult task to undertake as legislators. Proposals were offered that would have minimized the cuts for certain districts, while forcing others to shoulder more of the burden. I opposed these efforts and ultimately the committee chose to make these cuts on a per-pupil basis, affecting every child in the state equally.

The bill also included provisions related to early childhood education, ensuring that current programs will continue and providing for additional scholarship dollars. The bill also fully funds QComp and allows schools that have previously been unable to participate to have access to an alternative grant program. Moreover, technology provisions that I have been working on for the last couple of years were included in the bill. These provisions lay the foundation for all students to have access to the best technology tools available in education. In addition, I am pleased to announce that the Education Shared Services bill passed on general orders on the Senate Floor this past Thursday, and I am now hopeful that it can be amended onto the Education Omnibus bill. It is my belief and strong commitment that negotiations will take place as the session progresses that will allow us to further minimize cuts to education.

Ninth-graders from Hopkins North Junior High came to the Capitol for a visit on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. I was happy to have the chance to share with these students the story of how I first got involved in politics, as a parent serving on the Hopkins Legislative Action Coalition.

Mandate Reduction Bill

As the Legislature struggles with a $6.4 billion budget deficit over the next biennium, the DFL has put forward, with the consideration of several committees, a Mandate Reduction Bill.  The intent of the bill is to relieve counties, cities, schools, and local governmental units of legislative mandates and onerous agency rules that make their work more difficult to perform and lowers their efficiency.  Highlights of the legislation include:

Human Services

Allows cremation in lieu of burial for destitute persons and eliminates requirement of funeral services if attempts to contact the decedent’s next of kin were unsuccessful.

Local Government

Authorizes local units of government to submit a group application to the State Auditor for a waiver or temporary exemption of an administrative rule. Under current law, each application must be submitted separately.

Removes the requirement that counties must pay for the cost of an administrative hearing in a statewide ballot question or for a statewide or legislative office election.

Taxes

Repeals the 3.9%, three-year local government levy limit mandate that was passed in the 2008 Omnibus Tax Bill in exchange for increased state police and fire aid. That state aid has since been drastically cut by the Governor.

Repeals the mandate to republish entire lists of delinquent property taxes if there is one or more errors included in the original publication. Instead, only corrected material must be reprinted.

In addition, the Omnibus Education bill contains several meaningful mandate reductions that will give our school financial flexibility during these tough times.

Outdoor Heritage Fund Recommendations

On March 27, the Environment and Natural Resources Committee unanimously approved the recommendations of the Lessard Outdoor Heritage Council, which proposes to spend $69.5 million (one-third) of the revenues collected from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Constitutional Amendment that was passed by voters in the November 2008 election.

Under the recommendations, 19 projects are funded from the newly- created Outdoor Heritage Fund.  Collectively, the projects will protect and enhance 232,000 acres of habitat, including 129,000 acres of forests, 71,000 acres of wetlands, 24,000 acres of prairies, and 343 miles of shoreline.  The plan finances the purchase of 202,000 acres of easements and 8,749 acres of land.  Overall, projects are distributed to 77 of the state’s 87 counties.

There has been a great deal of concern that legislators would not follow the recommendations of the Council. The public can rest assured that these recommendations have been followed.

Have a great weekend!