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Rep. Kim Norton Legislative Update 4/29/2009

05/01/2009




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Dear Neighbors,

This past week Minnesota lawmakers have passed bills to balance the state’s record $6.4 billion budget shortfall. Facing an unprecedented challenge, the House has crafted a plan based on the input of Minnesotans that protects our most vulnerable citizens, protects and creates jobs, makes our tax system more progressive, and contributes to the state’s economic recovery.

Included below is a list detailing provisions of interest in omnibus bills passed on the House floor this week. Each of these bills: 1) enact significant reform; 2) enhance oversight and accountability; 3) make priority-based budget reductions that recognize the need for additional revenue. Broadly, the House budget plan was guided by the following framework based on months of work and input from thousands of Minnesotans at town hall meetings across the state, conversation with their legislators, and budget comments collected online:

  • Utilizes $1.8 billion in one-time federal recovery funds
  • Makes $1.6 billion in budget cuts
  • Delays $1.8 billion in payments to K-12 schools
  • Relies on $1.5 billion in new revenue
  • Adds $300 million in budget reserves
  • Balances the budget in 2012/2013

Your input throughout the legislative session has been instrumental in informing my decisions on your behalf at the State Capitol. I want to thank you for sharing your concerns and advice with me on the serious issues facing our state during this difficult economic recession. Working together to craft thoughtful effective policy, we can resolve our common challenges responsibly and make Minnesota an even better place to live.

The 2009 Legislative Session is scheduled to adjourn Monday, May 18. I strongly encourage you to continue contacting me throughout the final weeks of session with your questions, concerns, and suggestions. You can reach me by phone at (651) 296-9249 or by email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). I look forward to hearing from you.

Kim Norton
State Representative
District 29B


CONSTITUENT MEETING

Second Saturday of the Month (May 9, 2009)*
8:30am – 9:30am
Dunn Brothers Coffee
120 Elton Hills Drive NW, Rochester

*Pending a floor session – watch for email notice of potential cancellation

HOUSE BILLS PASSED THIS WEEK

Monday, April 20

PUBLIC SAFETY OMNIBUS POLICY BILL (HF1301)

  • Prohibits predatory offenders from accessing social networking websites like MySpace and Facebook
  • Prohibits a retailer from selling toys known to be recalled for safety reasons
  • Cracks down on people who train animals to fight


Wednesday, April 22

AGRICULTURE AND VETERANS AFFAIRS OMNIBUS FINANCE BILL (HF1122)

  • Cut agriculture spending 8%
  • Cut ethanol producer payments 20% to be repaid to ethanol producers and farmers over time
  • Increased funding 8% for Minnesota veterans and active servicemembers
  • Increased funding for veterans homes 3%


ENVIRONMENT ENERGY OMNIBUS FINANCE BILL (HF2123)

  • Does not include new funding from the Legacy Act approved by voters on the ballot in November (those bills will be coming to the floor separately in the coming weeks)
  • Cuts environment and energy budgets 3.9% in a way that did not circumvent Legacy Act funds
  • Enhanced accountability, oversight, and efficiency efforts over environmental programs and spending
  • Utilized $200 million in federal recovery funds to grow jobs through
  • Weatherizing homes to make them more energy efficient
  • Retrofitting state buildings to make them more energy efficient
  • Investing in renewable energy projects


HIGHER EDUCATION OMNIBUS FINANCE BILL (HF869)

  • Utilizes federal recovery dollars at the University of Minnesota and the MnSCU system for the next two years and directs that those resource must be used to hold down tuition
  • Tuition cannot exceed 5% per year at MnSCU campuses
  • Tuition cannot increase more than $300 per year for the next two years at the U of M
  • Directs the University of Minnesota to use federal recovery dollars to create a new scholarship to help offset the impact of rising tuition for middle income students
  • Improves the State Grant Program by increasing the tuition maximum for 4-year programs by $100 and increasing the living and miscellaneous expense by $700


Thursday, April 23

K-12 EDUCATION OMNIBUS FINANCE BILL (HF2)

  • Provides stable, dependable funding for education in difficult economic times
  • Reduces mandates to help school districts save money and operate with more efficiency and flexibility
  • Paves the way for significant school funding reform when the economy recovers by beginning a four year phase-in of the New Minnesota Miracle by 2014
  • Maintains current funding of $13.7 billion for FY2010-11 using delayed payments and federal recovery funds to offset cuts to general education aid
  • Strengthens oversight, governance, and financial management of charter schools
  • Creates a temporary alternative path to a high school diploma for students who fail 11th grade math GRAD tests without sacrificing rigor


EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION OMNIBUS FINANCE BILL (HF2088)

  • Preserves early childhood care and education programs, and protects restored funding levels
  • Begins implementing a voluntary statewide quality rating system
  • Creates a Director of Early Learning to coordinate and align early care and education programs
  • Utilizes $26 million in federal recovery funds to reduce the basic sliding fee childcare waiting lists
  • Provides a 2% increase in provider reimbursement rates

STATE GOVERNMENT OMNIBUS FINANCE BILL (SF2082)

  • Cuts state government spending 7% – the largest cut from any finance committee
  • Establishes a Minnesota False Claims Act that to combat fraud against state government
  • Creates a searchable Web site containing information regarding all state expenditures
  • Makes it easier for college students to vote where they attend school and creates an online voter registration system
  • Creates an online filing system for businesses to file with the Secretary of State’s Office. E-filing will save businesses thousands of dollars in postage and overhead and cut down on the state’s administrative costs


Friday, April 24

PUBLIC SAFETY OMNIBUS FINANCE BILL (SF802)

  • Emphasizes reforms and requires performance measures while making fair, balanced budget cuts
  • Utilizes $38 million federal recovery dollars for the Department of Corrections
  • Establishes judicial reforms to increase efficiencies and save the court system over $3 million


ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OMNIBUS FINANCE BILL (SF2081)

  • Maintains Housing Finance Agency funding, investing in the production of affordable homes and creation of new jobs with both state funds and leveraged federal funds
  • Creates MN Green Enterprise Assistance which helps businesses expedite delivery of grants, license and permits for green economy projects
  • Increases $1 million in funding for Biobusiness Alliance to continue advancing bioscience industries and creation of new jobs in emerging technologies
  • Strengthens local job creation through small business and entrepreneur grants and increase in small business growth acceleration program


Saturday, April 25

TRANSPORTATION OMNIBUS FINANCE BILL (HF1309)

  • Contributes to budget solution with $8.4 million cuts to transportation general fund
  • Maintains local, road and bridge funding without transportation tax or user fee increase
  • Fully funds Greater and Metro Minnesota transit in order to preserve services and/or fee increases
  • Coordinates commuter and passenger rail planning process so Minnesota can take full advantage of federal funding for high speed rail
  • Authorizes Transportation Contingent Appropriations Group to approve any future federal transportation funding made available through American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
  • Prevents cancellation or delays of future road and bridge projects by building up the depleted Trunk Highway Fund


TAXES BILL (HF2323)

  • Proposes the most significant tax reform in over 20 years

  • Eliminates business subsidies and tax expenditures that are outdated, ineffective, or regressive

  • Increases the progressivity of the tax system by replacing tax subsidies that disproportionately benefit upper-income earners and creates a new fourth-tier income tax rate of 9% on married joint filers making over $300,000

  • Helps small businesses and farms through Section 179 tax cuts

  • Doubles the Research and Development Credit on the first $2 million of R&D expenditures and makes S-corporations and partnerships eligible for the credit

  • Increases the cigarette tax by 54 cents a pack to the same level as Wisconsin to recoup associated health care costs (Research shows that smoking-related health care costs actually equal $10.28/pack)

  • Increases total alcohol taxes for the first time since 1987 by 3 to 5 cents per drink to recoup associated alcohol abuse costs (Research shows that the economic costs associated with alcohol abuse amount to $4.5 billion a year or $900 for every person in the state of Minnesota)

Monday, April 27

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES OMNIBUS FINANCE BILL (HF1362)

  • Cuts health care spending $400 million without kicking people off health care
  • Minimizes cuts to hospitals ($76 million) – Governor Pawlenty’s plan would cut $764 million
  • Preserves health care for 113,000 working Minnesotans
  • Provides coverage for an additional 50,000 Minnesota children
  • Requires insurance companies to cover autistic children in Minnesota (my provision)
  • Preserves nursing home funding through the biennium
  • Reduces cuts to mental health services and programs for Minnesotans with disabilities

KIM’S BILLS

  • Autism Insurance Coverage (HF359) – Amended on Health and Human Services Finance bill

  • Olmsted Steam Pipes (HF23) – Capital Investment Conference Committee is considering inclusion

  • National Volleyball Center (HF624) – Capital Investment Conference Committee is considering inclusion

  • DEED Accountability (HF1785) – Economic Development Conference Committee is considering inclusion

  • Vinland Center Job Training (HF1694) – Economic Development Conference Committee is considering inclusion

  • Genomics Partnership (HF552) – Higher Education Conference Committee is considering inclusion

You can find more information about bills I am working on online at http://www.house.mn/29B


Kim Norton
House of Representatives-29B

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