A
weekly
message
from
your
Senator
Dear
Constituents
and
Friends,
We
are
closer
to
the
last
day
of
session
on
May
22nd.
This
week
the
Senate
passed
several
conference
committee
reports:
H.F.
895/S.F.
780
Omnibus
agriculture
and
housing
appropriations
bill
H.F.
888/S.F.
723
Omnibus
environment
and
natural
resources
finance
bill
H.F.
890/S.F.
718
Omnibus
education
finance
bill
H.F.
691/S.F.
605
Omnibus
state
government
appropriations
bill;
omnibus
veterans
and
military
affairs
appropriations
bill
H.F.
945/S.F.
800
Omnibus
health
human
services
bill
Below
are
the
veto messages
on
why
each
of
them
were
vetoed.
Governor
Dayton’s
veto
letter
for
the
omnibus
agriculture
finance
bill.
Governor
Dayton’s veto
letter for
the
omnibus
environment
and
natural
resources
finance
bill.
Governor
Dayton’s veto
letter for
the
omnibus
E-12
education
finance
bill.
Governor
Dayton’s veto
letter for
the
omnibus
state
government,
military
and
veterans
affairs
finance
bill.
Governor
Dayton’s veto
letter for
the
omnibus
health
and
human
services
finance
bill.
H.F.
1451/S.F.
1124
Omnibus
lands
bill
also
passed
this
week
and
was
signed
into
law. This
bill
modifies
requirements
for
exchanging
road
easements
and
for
leasing
forest
lands
providing
for
public
or
private
sale
of
certain
consolidated
conservation
land.
We
are
still
at
impasse
over
the
size
and
priorities
of
the
state
budget
so
we
expect
negotiations
to
resume
and
continue
for
the
duration
of
the
session.
I
am
hopeful
we
are
able
to
find
middle
ground
on
important
legislation
and
funding
of
the
government
to
avoid
a
possible
shutdown
and
get
our
work
done
on
time.
You
can
count
on
my
advocacy
to
be
prudent
in
our
spending
without
jeopardizing
the
gains
we
have
made
in
education
and
the
well
being
of
all
Minnesotans
during
the
past
several
years.
Sincerely,
Melisa
Met
Council
restructuring
bill
passes
the
Senate
A
bill
seeking
to
restructure
the
Metropolitan
Council
was
passed
off
the
Senate
floor
Monday
evening,
with
a
34-32
party-line
vote.
If
signed,
the
bill
as
amended
would
make
significant
changes
to
the
composition
of
the
Met
Council,
bringing
the
number
of
serving
individuals
to
28
members,
up
from
its
current
number
of
17.
In
addition
to
the
membership
increase
is
a
complete
revamp
of
the
council’s
membership
composition.
Rather
than
being
comprised
solely
of
gubernatorial
appointments,
the
new
council
would
include
one
locally
elected
official
appointed
by
a
municipal
committee
of
each
Met
Council
district;
one
county
commissioner
from
each
of
the
7
metropolitan
counties
Anoka,
Carver,
Dakota,
Hennepin,
Ramsey,
Scott,
and
Washington;
the
commissioner
of
transportation
or
a
designee;
three
members
appointed
by
the
commissioner
to
represent
non-motorized
transportation,
freight
transportation,
and
public
transit;
and
a
gubernatorially
appointed
chair.
Supporters
of
the
legislation
contend
the
changes
will
bring
accountability
to
the
council,
as
its
current
composition
of
gubernatorial
appointees
has
regional
taxation
authority
without
being
elected
by
the
regions’
residents.
Opponents
argue
having
elected
officials
on
the
Met
Council
would
bring
with
it
several
conflicts
of
interest,
as
they
would
be
acting
in
incompatible
positions
as
both
the
regulator
and
as
the
regulated.
The
bill has
been
sent
to
the
House,
where
it
was
referred
to
Ways
and
Means.
The
language
for
this
bill
is
also
included
in
the
transportation
finance
conference
committee
report
(SF
1490/HF
1866).
Minnesota
values
early
childhood
education
Early
learning
teachers
from
around
Minnesota
this
week
discussed
the
value
of
pre-K
and
the
problems
posed
to
their
districts
by
the
proposed
education
plan.
Despite
a
$1.65
billion
surplus,
the
bill
proposed
by
the
majority
is
cutting
voluntary,
public
pre-K
funding
across
the
state.
Governor
Dayton
has
called
for
a
$175
million
increase
in
funding.
Chris
Messer
is
a
kindergarten
teacher
in
Barnesville,
and
past
president
of
the
Minnesota
Kindergarten
Association.
Barnesville
offers
half-day
pre-K
for
$100
a
month
for
two
days
a
week
and
$145
a
month
for
three,
in
addition
to
what
families
already
pay
for
daycare.
Messer
advocated
for
more
pre-K
investment,
not
less.
She
argues
that
universal
pre-K
would
remove
discriminating
tuition
costs
and
free
up
district
resources
for
more
staff.
She
adds
that
the
benefits
of
a
quality
pre-K
experience
need
to
be
made
available
to
all
Minnesota
students.
Kimberly
Antonsen
is
a
preschool
teacher
in
the
Waubun-Ogema-White
Earth
school
district.
Thanks
to
voluntary
pre-K
funding,
they
added
a
new
preschool
classroom
and
teacher
and
now
provide
all-day,
everyday
preschool
to
51
children.
Cuts
to
pre-K
funding
would
threaten
this
success.
She
told
the
audience,
“In
our
rural
area,
it’s
necessary
to
have
all-day
pre-K
because
most
families
do
not
work
nearby.”
The
teachers
were
joined
by
some
legislators
who
agreed
early
childhood
education
benefits
kidsparticularly
in
Greater
Minnesota
and
that
with
a
budget
surplus,
cuts
to
pre-K
and
early
learning
are
the
wrong
choice.
100-mile
trek
for
higher
education
Minnesota
legislators
stood
in
unity
with
Minnesota
State
University
students
on
their
100-mile
walk
from
Minnesota
State
Mankato
to
the
Capitol to
raise
awareness
of
the
need
for
affordable
higher
education.
The
Minnesota
State
student
walkers
say
lawmakers
need
to
realize
the
impact
their
decisions
make
on higher
education
affordability
and
access
and
the
future
of
Minnesota.
According
to
the
group,
the
average
student
debt
in
Minnesota
is
nearly
$32,000,
the
fifth
highest
in
the
nation.
In
addition,
students
have
yearly
increases
in
tuition
and
budget
cuts
on
their
minds.
This
week
they
walked
the
walk
to
talk
about
it.
The
students,
who
represent
Mankato,
Moorhead,
Bemidji,
Winona,
and
St.
Cloud,
left
Minnesota
State
Mankato
on
Sunday
morning
and
walked
for
four
days
to
reach
the
State
Capitol
on
Wednesday.
Legislators
walked
with
the
students
for
the
last
leg
of
their
journey
in
solidarity
for
increased
higher
education
funding.
Click
here
for
pictures
of
the
event.
DFL
women
meet
with
Gov.
Dayton
to
talk
about
issues
important
to
women
More
than
30
DFL
women
legislators
met
with
Governor
Mark
Dayton
and
Lieutenant
Governor
Tina
Smith
to
talk
about
three
important
women’s
issues
in
the
closing
days
of
the
legislative
session:
protecting
minimum
wage
and
paid
family
leave
by
vetoing
the
preemption
bill,
keeping
the
Office
of
the
Economic
Status
of
Women
funded,
and
protecting
our
clean
and
fair
elections
by
opposing
the
elimination
of
the
public
finance
program.
For
far
too
many
women,
the
challenge
of
making
ends
meet
and
caring
for
their
families
is
a
daily
struggle.
Despite
trying
to
make
progress
on
important
economic
security
issues,
women
too
frequently
continue
to
earn
less
than
men,
face
consequences
because
of
caregiving
responsibilities,
and
lack
access
to
workplace.
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