An update on budget talks
Conference committees ?Äì the final negotiations between the House and the Senate on various bills ?Äì have been meeting throughout the week in anticipation of arriving at budget compromises very soon. With three weeks remaining in this year?Äôs session, we are working to get bills to the governor?Äôs desk in a timely manner. The House and Senate leadership announced the new joint budget targets earlier today, April 28.
Higher Education Conference Committee
I am serving as the co-chair of the conference committee on the higher education budget. The budget that passed the Senate spends nearly $3.17 billion in higher education over the next two years. The conference committee has met several times this past week. The committee began adopting language; including language regarding reporting requirements for MNState and the University of Minnesota; language addressing school closures, like the recent closure of Globe College; a two-year tuition freeze at Minnesota State institutions; and, language that will provide additional assistance to two-year state colleges in Greater Minnesota. The budget target for the higher education conference committee is an additional $125 million, which is an increase from the Senate?Äôs previous higher education budget target. The committee will meet on Monday to determine the spending priorities to be included in the conference committee report.
Passed from the floor: Legacy bill
On Monday, the Senate passed the omnibus Legacy bill with bipartisan support. The bill primarily funds areas that preserve Minnesota?Äôs natural beauty and culture. In addition to provisions supporting Minnesota?Äôs natural resources, arts, and culture, included in the bill is $22 million for soil and water conservation districts to support landowners with the cost of the full implementation of the buffer strips mandate. The Legacy bill unanimously passed the House in early April; the bill is now being worked on in a joint House-Senate conference committee.
Passed from the floor: MSFA changes
On Thursday, the Senate unanimously passed a bill that lends considerably more oversight to the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA), the group that oversees operations at U.S. Bank Stadium. Among the provisions of the bill, which resulted from a scathing legislative auditor?Äôs report that MSFA staff acted in an unethical manner:
?Ä¢ The stadium space may not be used by the executive director or family/friends unless the use is for a legitimate business purpose and is approved by a vote of the Authority at a public meeting, and the legitimate business purpose is made public.
?Ä¢ Staff may not use the stadium space unless with the express written assignment of duties by the executive director. Staff may not receive free food or beverages and may not receive free parking unless necessary to complete the assigned duties.
?Ä¢ The Authority must report annually to various parties regarding the use of stadium space by Authority members, staff, family, friends, charitable organizations, and vendors or their guests.
?Ä¢ The Authority must make every effort to recover the fair market value of any food, parking, tickets, and access to the stadium provided to a person prior to January 1, 2017, if the provision of those benefits to the person was not in the public interest.
The bill was previously passed in the House and now awaits the signature of Governor Dayton.