|
Dear
Friends
and
Neighbors,
There
is
one
month
left
in
this
Legislative
Session.
Typically,
conference
committees
are
meeting
and
we
are
hearing
a
lot
of
bills
on
the
floor.
This
year
is
different.
We
owe
it
to
Minnesotans
to
pass
bills
that
address
the
opioid
epidemic,
distracted
driving,
and
repair
our
state’s
aging
infrastructure.
We
also
need
prevent
unintended
tax
hikes
for
working
people
due
to
the
Federal
Tax
Bill.
We
must
adjourn
on
May
21st,
so
time
is
running
out.
Last
week
I
recorded
a
video
on
this
issue,
unfortunately
there
has
been
no
movement.
At
the
Capitol
Moms
Demand
Action
Hundreds
of
Minnesota
Moms
Demand
Action
for
Gun
Sense
in
America
volunteers
visited
the
Capitol
this
week
to
meet
with
lawmakers
and
hold
a
rally
in
the
rotunda.
Dressed
in
bright
red
shirts,
Moms
Demand
Action
volunteers
are
working
with
law
makers,
companies,
and
educational
institutions
to
establish
common-sense
gun
reforms
to
reduce
gun
violence.
DFL
senators
have
introduced
numerous
gun
safety
proposals,
including
the
Senate’s
first
and
only
comprehensive
plan
to
address
gun
violence
–
it
focuses
on
schools,
research,
and
gun
safety.
Senate
Republicans
refuse
to
hold
public
hearings
about
gun
violence,
shutting
Minnesotans
out
of
an
important
conversation
about
the
safety
of
our
children
and
families.
Second
Harvest
Several
of
you
have
written
supporting
the
Second
Harvest
Heartland
Bonding
request.
They
are
Minnesota's
largest
hunger
relief
organization.
They
held
a
press
conference
this
week
to
highlight
the
need
for
$18
million
in
bonding
for
their
distribution
center
in
Brooklyn
Park.
Four-time
James
Beard
Award-winning
TV
personality
and
chef,
Andrew
Zimmern,
was
on
hand
to
advocate
for
the
bonding
project.
Second
Harvest
Heartland’s
current
distribution
facility
is
at
maximum
capacity
and
does
not
have
the
space
to
meet
the
demands
of
their
food
shelf
and
meal
programs
to
feed
hungry
Minnesotans.
 The
request
will
allow
Second
Harvest
to
feed
more
hungry
Minnesotans
across
the
state
by
adding
a
facility
in
Brooklyn
Park.
The
Bonding
requests
from
communities
across
the
State,
including
the
City
of
Minneapolis,
the
Minneapolis
Park
&
Recreation
Board,
Hennepin
County
and
the
University
of
MN,
total
more
than
$4
Billion
Dollars.
The
Governor's
proposal
for
$1.5
Billion
Dollars
does
not
include
any
local
projects
but
does
include
requests
from
the
University
of
MN
and
the
Stone
Arch
Bridge.
We
need
to
include
some
local
projects
in
the
bonding
bill.
If
the
Republicans
do
not
want
to
go
above
a
certain
number
for
the
bonding
bill,
we
could
possibly
do
a
second
bill
dealing
with
maintenance
and
preservation
of
certain
state
buildings
or
public
college
buildings.
We
need
to
deal
with
this
-
deferred
maintenance
issues
and
costs
will
not
magically
go
away.
In
Committee
Tax
Committee
This
week
we
heard
Governor
Dayton’s
Policy,
Technical
Corrections,
and
Conformity
Bills.
His
conformity
bill
makes
necessary
adjustments
to
avoid
negative
impacts
of
the
federal
bill
and
retains
important
tax
benefits
Minnesotans
currently
enjoy.
Key
points
to
the
Governor's
Tax
Bill
Proposal
include:
- Moving
the
starting
point
to
determine
Minnesota
Taxable
Income
from
Federal
Taxable
Income
to
Federally
Adjusted
Gross
Income;
- Creating
new
personal
&
dependent
credit
that
would
cut
taxes
for
over
1.9
million
Minnesotans;
- Preserve
Property
tax
deduction.
The
most
important
piece
of
the
Governor’s
plan
is
that,
if
passed,
it
avoids
a
$60
million
tax
increase
on
300,000
Minnesotans
next
year.
It
is
critical
that
Republican
leaders
move
on
from
distorting
numbers
and
work
on
submitting
their
own
tax
proposals
as
soon
as
possible
so
the
legislature
can
spend
the
remaining
30
days
having
a
real
debate
about
potential
solutions.
Agriculture
and
Housing
Committee:
Minnesota
farmers
are
facing
low
commodity
prices
and
possibly
tariffs.
Despite
a
$325
million
surplus,
the
Agriculture,
Rural
Development
and
Housing
Finance
Committee
was
not
given
any
additional
resources
to
fund
important
initiatives
in
rural
Minnesota
across
the
state.
Instead,
the
committee
was
forced
to
make
cuts
within
the
Department
of
Agriculture
to
make
important
investments
in
programs
like
mental
health
services
for
farmers
and
farm
related
businesses.
The
most
significant
policy
change
within
the
proposal
would
limit
the
Department
of
Agriculture’s
ability
to
implement
a
rule
regulating
the
application
of
nitrate
fertilizers.
While
the
rule
is
concerning
for
some
in
the
agriculture
industry,
Governor
Dayton
appears
to
be
steadfast
in
his
support
for
the
rule.
As
a
result,
any
bill
with
this
provision
in
it
risks
being
vetoed.
We
heard
several
proposals
to
help
provide
more
affordable
housing
options
for
homeless
families
and
individuals
dealing
with
mental
health
issues
but
the
bill
did
not
provide
any
new
money
to
address
housing
issues.
The
bill
did
make
some
changes
to
tax
exempt
bond
financing
for
housing
projects
recommended
by
several
housing
advocacy
groups.
  |
|
Edison
High
School
and
De
LaSalle
students
participating
in
the
student
walk
out
for
gun
violence
|
Judiciary
and
Public
Safety
Committee:
Children
involved
in
court
cases
will
have
to
proceed
without
the
representation
of
a
Guardian
ad
Litem,
forensic
scientists
will
continue
to
be
overworked,
and
the
safety
needs
of
county
courthouses
will
go
unmet
if
the
supplemental
judiciary
finance
omnibus
bill
introduced
by
Senate
Republicans
becomes
law.
The
bill
was
heard
in
the
Judiciary
and
Public
Safety
Committee
this
week
and
passed
on
a
party
line
vote.
The
committee
heard
the
Governor’s
recommendations
for
corrections,
the
courts,
and
public
safety
earlier
in
the
week.
The
Governor
recommended
$1
million
to
supplement
a
widely
popular
grant
program
for
counties
to
make
safety
and
security
improvements
to
their
courthouses.
Funding
was
only
available
for
1/3
of
grant
requests
in
the
first
funding
cycle.
There
is
no
funding
for
the
program
in
the
supplemental
proposal.
An
evaluation
by
the
Office
of
the
Legislative
Auditor
found
the
Minnesota
Guardian
ad
Litem
Board,
which
oversees
the
activities
of
attorneys
who
represent
the
best
interests
of
children
in
certain
cases,
was
not
meeting
its
state
or
federal
obligations
to
protect
children.
In
order
to
ensure
all
children
who
are
entitled
to
representation
receive
it,
the
Governor
recommended
45
new
Guardians
ad
Litem
be
hired
at
a
cost
of
$4
million
annually.
The
supplemental
proposal
includes
no
funding
for
the
program.
The
Minnesota
Constitution
requires
that
offenders
in
its
state
prisons
receive
health
care,
and
the
Governor
recommended
ongoing
funding
to
meet
that
mandate.
The
omnibus
bill
includes
funding
for
offender
health
care,
but
cuts
off
funding
starting
in
2024.
The
Governor’s
other
corrections
funding
recommendations,
including
increased
safety
measures,
and
providing
opioid
addiction
treatment
to
offenders,
were
not
included
in
the
Omnibus
bill.
Senator
Latz
offered
an
amendment
to
close
the
background
check
loophole.
I
supported
the
amendment,
but
it
failed
on
a
party
line
vote.
He
also
offered
an
amendment
to
create
gun
violence
protective
orders,
or
red
flag
orders.
This
amendment
was
similar
to
what
passed
in
Florida
recently.
Unfortunately,
this
amendment
also
failed
on
a
party
line
vote.
The
Committee
discussed
these
issues
for
a
little
more
than
an
hour.
This
issue
deserves
a
conversation,
with
testimony,
at
a
minimum,
but
unfortunately
that
has
not
happened. |