Friday
You have made it through another week. Just like this others, this one was jam packed with so many things. Will we ever have a slow news week again?
You have made it through another week. Just like this others, this one was jam packed with so many things. Will we ever have a slow news week again?
Minnesota legislators finished up their special session in the wee hours of the morning. What an exhausting few weeks it has been for many of you. I commend the senators and representatives that put their personal lives aside to fight for the good people of Minnesota. Same goes to those of you who made it out to the Capitol, called, or wrote letters to support them. This session has been incredibly difficult to follow and comprehend for me. I admire your ability to pick through all the information and get to the meat of these bills. I am so thankful for you and for our fantastic governor, Mark Dayton. He is the ultimate safety net for Minnesota.
Here’s an article on Dayton’s veto record: https://www.minnpost.com/…/governor-no-dayton-poised-claim-…
Check out this article from the StarTribune for a brief overview of what’s been going on at the Capitol. http://www.startribune.com/budget-debates-set-to-continu…/…/
This quote makes me scratch my head, “The tax bill lawmakers completed on Thursday divides $650 million in tax breaks among Social Security recipients, Minnesotans with student loans, parents with child care costs, business property owners, farmers and SMOKERS.” Smokers seems like a non-sequitur. I am wondering if it’s there to appease the tobacco lobbyists.
Below is an overview from the great people at Indivisible Minnesota Local. They are an excellent source of local legislative information. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to check them out. Here’s their website:http://indivisibleminnesotalocal.org/
"SPECIAL SESSION WRAP-UP: It was a late night, filled with twists and turns (some of them very inside baseball and...well, frankly weird.) First, let me discuss the mostly uncontroversial.
Bonding passed with overwhelming majorities in both House and Senate, not too surprising because it allows all members to say what great projects they are bringing home to the district.
That was it in terms of relatively non-controversial items. Some bills did get Dem votes like HHS, primarily because the GOP Senators were down a few members (which meant they needed Dem votes to pass their bills). What did that mean? That meant that some pretty bad policy stuff was pulled out of the bills before final passage....but…
Govt. ops eliminated funding for the Office of the Economic Status of Women and underfunded cybersecurity (primarily because the Governor was given a choice between that and funding other agencies core administrative functions).
The education bill includes a new tier of licensing that teacher groups expressed concerns about.
The tax bill had lots of goodies but raises concerns about potential structural deficits.
Transportation budget did not do transit any favors and relied on more general funds than ever (instead of using dedicated funding as was typical).
HHS bill used a lot of one time money, raided funds and shifts to counties.
The employment practices bill with the nasty preemption language was passed (Gov. said he would veto but give him a call)
And before special session, the public safety bill was passed with provisions that would prohibit the Dept. of Public Safety from issuing licenses to undocumented immigrants.
And all of these budget bills occurred in the context of a surplus...yes a surplus...but relied on the type of budget gimmicks one normally see in deficit years.
Oh and all of this occur in an even less transparent environment than veteran observers have seen. Unless we push back on that trend, the voice of you...citizens...will erode and diminish.
For all of those reasons, some folks are urging the Governor to veto some or all of the bills passed. If you feel the same way, you have one last time to weigh in with the Governor. Give him a call or send him an email. https://mn.gov/governor/contact-us/
After your calls and emails, take a (short) break but then get back to resistance. We'll have next steps to share.
Thank you for your efforts. This session could have been a lot worse absent your work."
Bonding passed with overwhelming majorities in both House and Senate, not too surprising because it allows all members to say what great projects they are bringing home to the district.
That was it in terms of relatively non-controversial items. Some bills did get Dem votes like HHS, primarily because the GOP Senators were down a few members (which meant they needed Dem votes to pass their bills). What did that mean? That meant that some pretty bad policy stuff was pulled out of the bills before final passage....but…
Govt. ops eliminated funding for the Office of the Economic Status of Women and underfunded cybersecurity (primarily because the Governor was given a choice between that and funding other agencies core administrative functions).
The education bill includes a new tier of licensing that teacher groups expressed concerns about.
The tax bill had lots of goodies but raises concerns about potential structural deficits.
Transportation budget did not do transit any favors and relied on more general funds than ever (instead of using dedicated funding as was typical).
HHS bill used a lot of one time money, raided funds and shifts to counties.
The employment practices bill with the nasty preemption language was passed (Gov. said he would veto but give him a call)
And before special session, the public safety bill was passed with provisions that would prohibit the Dept. of Public Safety from issuing licenses to undocumented immigrants.
And all of these budget bills occurred in the context of a surplus...yes a surplus...but relied on the type of budget gimmicks one normally see in deficit years.
Oh and all of this occur in an even less transparent environment than veteran observers have seen. Unless we push back on that trend, the voice of you...citizens...will erode and diminish.
For all of those reasons, some folks are urging the Governor to veto some or all of the bills passed. If you feel the same way, you have one last time to weigh in with the Governor. Give him a call or send him an email. https://mn.gov/governor/contact-us/
After your calls and emails, take a (short) break but then get back to resistance. We'll have next steps to share.
Thank you for your efforts. This session could have been a lot worse absent your work."
Here’s some great news. The “stand your ground” gun bill did not make it to the governor’s desk: http://www.twincities.com/…/minnesota-gun-rights-legislati…/
Here’s a list of some of the projects that were funded:http://www.twincities.com/…/here-are-building-projects-min…/
Your call to action today is to contact Governor Dayton and your legislators (if you like the work they did) and thank them for their efforts. If you don’t like what your legislators did, you can tell them that too. How lucky are we to live in such a wonderful state? The standard of living in Minnesota far exceeds much of the country. I support those whose agenda involves keeping it that way.
Do you have more information about this legislative session to share? Please do so in the comments!
Franken-202-224-5641
Klobuchar-202-224-3244
House of Representative switchboard: (202) 224-3121
MN Legislators: https://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/legislators
Resistbot: https://resistbot.io/
Governor Dayton- https://mn.gov/governor/contact-us/
Klobuchar-202-224-3244
House of Representative switchboard: (202) 224-3121
MN Legislators: https://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/legislators
Resistbot: https://resistbot.io/
Governor Dayton- https://mn.gov/governor/contact-us/
Out and About
Wednesday 5/31 6=7:30 pm
St. Cloud, Bloomington, or Northfield
#ThisisMedicaid will host community conversations about Medicaid
https://twitter.com/thisismedicaid/status/867445116549689350
St. Cloud, Bloomington, or Northfield
#ThisisMedicaid will host community conversations about Medicaid
https://twitter.com/thisismedicaid/status/867445116549689350
Thursday 6/1, 5:30- 8:30 pm
SD54 Meet DFL Candidates for Governor
Cottage Grove VFW Red Barn located at 9260 E Point Douglas Rd S, Cottage Grove
https://www.facebook.com/events/237820063364313/?acontext=%7B%22source%22%3A4%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D&source=4&action_history=null
SD54 Meet DFL Candidates for Governor
Cottage Grove VFW Red Barn located at 9260 E Point Douglas Rd S, Cottage Grove
https://www.facebook.com/events/237820063364313/?acontext=%7B%22source%22%3A4%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D&source=4&action_history=null
Thursday 6/1, 7-9 pm
LWV Dakota County Healthcare Forum
Nativity Episcopal Church
15601 Maple Island Rd, Burnsville, Minnesota 55306
https://www.facebook.com/events/1932441393637471/?acontext=%7B%22source%22%3A4%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D&source=4&action_history=null
LWV Dakota County Healthcare Forum
Nativity Episcopal Church
15601 Maple Island Rd, Burnsville, Minnesota 55306
https://www.facebook.com/events/1932441393637471/?acontext=%7B%22source%22%3A4%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D&source=4&action_history=null
Saturday 6/3 10 am-12:30 pm
Action Together Twin Cities - Summer Action Fair
Robert Bruininks Hall
222 Pleasant St SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
https://www.facebook.com/events/1887301198176093/?acontext=%7B%22source%22%3A4%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D&source=4&action_history=null
Action Together Twin Cities - Summer Action Fair
Robert Bruininks Hall
222 Pleasant St SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455
https://www.facebook.com/events/1887301198176093/?acontext=%7B%22source%22%3A4%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D&source=4&action_history=null
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