We have now passed all budget bills off the Senate floor! Health and human services and education make up the largest slices of our state?Äôs budget, and along with taxes, they were heard on the Senate floor this week. This is the earliest in recent memory that all budget proposals have been passed from the Senate floor, making good on our commitment to get good bills passed on time for the benefit of all Minnesotans.
Next week, the Senate will observe Easter/Passover recess. When we return, we will begin the final stretch of the legislative session in earnest and will be well-positioned to work with the House and Governor Dayton to get a budget signed into law that respects taxpayers and invests in our state?Äôs future.
I?Äôd like to wish you and your families a blessed Easter holiday.
Ditch mowing update
On a bipartisan vote, the Senate passed legislation prohibiting the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) from enforcing certain regulations related to highway ditch mowing and baling. The bill, Senate File 218, now awaits the signature of Governor Dayton; it prevents MnDOT from requiring, issuing, or enforcing permits to mow or bale in state highway rights-of-way until April 30, 2018. The bill also requires MnDOT to work with agricultural and environmental groups to develop recommendations on a permit or notification system for mowing and baling in the highway rights-of-way.
Health and human services budget
The $14 billion health and human services budget represents an increase of $2.2 billion from the previous budget and increases funding for a considerable number of programs focused on helping people with disabilities develop life skills, caring for the elderly, and ending the cycle of poverty for at-risk kids. The bill includes a rate increase for personal care attendants who care for severely disabled Minnesotans to address the workforce shortage among direct care providers in rural Minnesota, among a number of other significant provisions aimed at maximizing the return on programs that have been proven to work.
Minn. Sen. Michelle Fischbach met with Eden Valley-Watkins administrators and staff Friday morning, April 7, after following an advanced modern fiction class. Among the topics of discussion were school vouchers and College in the Schools. Staff photo by Jean Doran Matua.
Education budget
The K-12 education budget that was passed by the Senate on Monday spends $18.5 billion on our schools over the next two years; this represents a $1.1 billion increase over last budget. $300 million in new money will be spent on our schools and our students, the vast majority of which is targeted to the general education formula. The bill also increases the general education revenue and provides funding for an additional 35,000 students statewide. Finally, the bill accounts for expected growth in areas such as special education, facilities aid, and adult education.
Additionally, the bill includes changes to the way teachers in Minnesota are licensed; this reform will help prevent a teacher shortage and get qualified teachers into the classroom more efficiently by focusing on rewarding highly effective teachers and districts.
Tax relief package
On Monday, we passed a tax bill meant to encourage growth in our economy through more than $900 million in tax relief to Minnesotans, many of whom have not seen a substantive tax relief package in nearly two decades. In total, 81 percent of Minnesota taxpayers, including 350,000 seniors and 2.3 million households, will see relief under our plan. The plan will especially benefit low- and middle-income Minnesota families, students, seniors, and those in Greater Minnesota, primarily through a cut to the state income tax. Small businesses will see an exemption from the statewide business property tax, as well as other incentives. Seniors will benefit from a phase-out of the tax on Social Security benefits. As part of an effort to attract and retain a qualified workforce, students will see relief through a tax credit on student loan debt following graduation. Finally, farmers will be eligible for a property tax credit on agricultural land, as well as a change to the estate tax.
Minnesota State Senate
2113 Minnesota Senate Building
95 University Ave West
St. Paul, MN 55155
Tel: (651) 296-2084
Email: sen.michelle.
fischbach@senate.mn