This is the first  part of Rep. Jeanne Poppe’s latest report from the legislature. The second part can be found here: Bipartisan efforts that were halted.

This is likely to be the last legislative update until January 2019. The legislature adjourned sine die (Latin for adjourned for an indefinite period). All 134 seats in the Minnesota House are up for election on Nov. 6, 2018. Thus the currently elected representatives are not scheduled to ever meet again.

The only way for us to return is if the governor calls a special session. That appears very unlikely based on past correspondence and communication given by Governor Dayton indicating there would be no reason for a special session since the work was able to be done during the regular session.

The 2018 Legislative Session started with a great deal of expectation for agreed upon results especially on the tax conformity bill, but when it ended just before midnight on Sunday, May 20, the bills sent to the governor left many wondering what the end results would actually be. By the time we voted on the tax conformity bill it had ballooned into a nearly 1,000-page bill when much of the education finance bill was added. More than a month ago, dozens of school districts across Minnesota reported they were facing immediate budget deficits that could result in teachers and support staff being laid off, along with significant cuts to school programs. As a result, Gov.  Dayton called for $138 million in emergency funding to increase resources for every Minnesota school district by $126 per student.

Since Gov. Dayton indicated he wouldn’t sign a tax bill without education funding, Republicans combined their tax bill that had already been vetoed with what amounted to budgetary shifts and gimmicks within existing education funding, so little was done to help schools. Again, Gov. Dayton vetoed this bill citing a lopsided tax bill that favored corporations over working Minnesotans and gimmicks that amounted to little new education funding.

Another major item passed in the final days included a super-sized omnibus supplemental finance bill which included good and highly desirable funding provisions but also included many policy provisions which Gov. Dayton had issued numerous written warnings, about which he clearly stated his displeasure. Dubbed “#OmnibusPrime” by Capitol watchers on Twitter, this nearly 1,000-page bill encompassed nearly every policy and budget goal from the legislative session, including agriculture, rural development, housing, state government, public safety, transportation, environment, jobs, energy, housing, health and human services, and so on.

The Republican majorities in the House and Senate followed the strategy that if they combined everything into one single bill, it would be harder for Gov. Dayton to veto. The strategy didn’t work in the end though, mixed in with the good things everyone wanted were dozens of objectionable policy provisions that Ggovernor Dayton had protested all session long.

A couple of bills that did win the hoped-for result were the pension bill and a public infrastructure bonding bill. These bills are the last for the Governor to deal with andon Wednesday and Thursday this week he put pen to paper and signed them.

Public Infrastructure Jobs Bill

One area that both parties came together was on a public infrastructure bonding bill. This bill will create thousands of jobs and help improve and repair our state’s public universities, roads, bridges, dams, wastewater treatment systems, and other vital infrastructure.

Needing a super majority of support in both the House and Senate, the House version of the bill initially passed the House. However, a different version of the bonding bill failed to pass the Senate. At just over $800 million in bonding, the bill grew significantly when other funds were added, including general fund spending, transportation projects, and money constitutionally dedicated to the environment from lottery proceeds. The final bill with these substantial additions totaling nearly $1.5 billion for public infrastructure passed the House and Senate on Sunday evening. One area that was never before considered or done and caused concern is borrowing against future lottery proceeds (a less than reliable source of revenue). On Wednesday the governor signed the bill providing only one line item veto, a duplicative review of water quality regulations costing $1 million over two years.

The signature on this bill is good news for our area as the following funds were included: $2.5 million for our public television station (KSMQ) to relocate and build its own station, $250,000 for the Shooting Star recreational trail, $20 million in flood mitigation funding which likely will mean the city of Austin will receive $1 million and Cedar River Watershed District will get $600,000. Also, Riverland Community College will see over $10 million in additional funding for the design and construction of their Trade and Transportation Industrial Center on the Albert Lea campus.

Pension Bill passes

After years of efforts, I’m happy to report that we passed a bill to shore up Minnesota’s pensions. This bipartisan fix will require workers and employers to chip in a bit more, and will pay out slightly less to retired workers. Without this fix, the pension systems were headed for a disastrous and costly cliff. Minnesota is not alone in this pension crisis, but we are heading in the right direction with this legislative action.

I am especially pleased to get the pension bill passed and signed by Gov. Dayton as it includes HF 11, which I authored to remedy firefighters’ pensions under the Austin Part-time Firefighters Relief Association.