As we near the deadline for filing our income taxes, there are several new toll free phone numbers available to assist greater Minnesota tax filers free of charge. Previously, out-state residents would have to call the revenue department long distance with questions about their state taxes. Toll free numbers: Individual Taxpayer Self Service, (800) 657-3676; Individual Taxpayer Assistance, (800) 652-9094; Collection Assistance (800) 657-3909; Sales Tax Assistance, (800) 657-3777; and Withholding Assistance, (800) 657-3594. With a self-imposed deadline for Senate passage of the Omnibus Higher Education Budget and Policy bill looming at the end of next week, the Higher Education Division of the Finance Committee put the finishing touches on what it proposes for adoption by the full Senate. Somewhat surprisingly when compared to previous years, the measure actually falls $67 million short of the governor’s recommended increase over the next two school years. But the measure still spends $3.1 billion, which is a gain of $296 million over what current law provides. Most of the new dollars are used to increase funding at the University of Minnesota (UMN) and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MNSCU), which in turn allows these public institutions to offer a sharply reduced tuition rate to Minnesota students and to students from states that have reciprocity agreements with Minnesota. Approximately 10 percent of the spending is for financial aid, which is primarily in the form of the State Grant. One of the first Senate budgets to be passed out of committee this year was the Agriculture and Veterans Budget. Senate File 1925 spends $32 million on top of the forecasted growth, which will put the total Senate budget for these two areas at $420 million over the next two years. The bill funds many of the governor’s initiatives, including $811,000 to eliminate bovine tuberculosis, $740,000 to protect the state from invasive species and $2 million to provide emergency cash assistance and benefits in special needs cases for veterans. This budget also provides a 3.25 percent salary increase for employees of the Department of Agriculture, Department of Military Affairs and the Department of Veterans Affairs. One of the marquee provisions in this budget will support the development of energy from cellulosic material in Minnesota. This budget will provide $11 million in Fiscal Year 2011 for payments to producers of cellulossic fuels and energy for the first 10 years of production. Cellulossic technology uses switchgrass, native prairie grasses or other plants for the production of ethanol and electricity. This provider payment system is similar to how the legislature assisted the ethanol industry many years ago. For the second session in a row, Gov. Pawlenty has laid out his initiative for mental health reform. This week, the Health, Housing and Family Security Committee and the Health and Human Services Budget Division both heard testimony on Senate File 1025. The bill was recommended to pass in the budget division and will be considered for possible inclusion in the Human Services Budget, which will be unveiled later this month. Senate File 1025 provides $44 million over the next two years for targeted increases in the mental health infrastructure. Some of these funding choices include $20.5 million for school based mental health services for uninsured children, $10 million to expand the mental health crisis intervention and stabilization infrastructure for children and adults and $4.5 million to develop evidence-based best practices for mental healthcare. The bill also establishes a mental health benefit set for
