Capitol Update #12

The Art of Compromise

As session intensifies, there is increasing urgency to have bills heard, passed, and signed into law. The key to moving bills along positively is to be extremely active in communicating with and understanding the priorities of my colleagues. I take great pride in the relationships I have with Senators and House members - on both sides of the aisle - and Governor Dayton. I am working with them toward compromises that are good for our community, their communities, and the State of Minnesota.

Updates on Issues

Education Omnibus Bill

I am happy to report that all three of the Education provisions I was focused on – (1) the Wayzata Lease Levy; (2) an extension on the basic skills requirement for immersion teachers; and (3) funding for the Parent Child Home Program – were included in the final version of the Education Omnibus bill. I just signed the conference report and it is on its way to the House and Senate floors.

The particular provision that would extend the requirement to pass the basic skills test is one of the better examples of compromise. Many of the Republicans did not want to extend this requirement at all. I was determined to extend the requirement for immersion language teachers because the Minnetonka School District has one of the largest programs in the nation and it would have been dismantled without this extension. At first, Sen. Olson and I, along with Rep. Doepke, sought a two year extension for immersion teachers only. Republicans accepted that, but the Governor refused to have a narrow carve out specifically for immersion teachers.

The next day, I arrived the conference committee and was thrilled with the sway in opinion. Republicans accepted the Governor’s position: generalize the provision to include all teachers – not just immersion teachers – and decrease the extension to one year, not two. While it was not perfect, this was better than nothing. Again, compromise is king.

Vikings Stadium

As you may recall, we had a hearing in the Local Government Committee a few weeks ago. The votes weren’t there at the time.  After 3 weeks of no action, the House took the bill up yesterday in the their Local Government Committee. There was a prior agreement to pass the bill out on a voice vote, yet the Chair called for a roll call. Therefore, members switched their votes and the bill was stuck.

Now with session end approaching, intensity is ramping up. Roger Goodell, the Commissioner of the National Football League (NFL), met with the Governor and Legislative leaders. It sounds like it was a decent meeting. As this update is being written, the Local Government Committee in the Senate is hearing this bill. Tom Bakk, Minority Leader, said there would be five members of the DFL voting for the bill in order to keep it moving.

The next step would be Jobs. Stay tuned.

Disclaimer:

While I am supportive of making this happen and will vote for the proposal, I oppose using General Fund dollars and have supported current proposals to use electronic pull tabs. As a value, the Stadium pales in comparison to the importance of the general health and well-being of our community.

Bonding Bill

It’s important to note that the State Constitution requires that bonding bills originate in the House. We have been waiting for the House to send us their bill so we may take action on ours. The $221 million bill that would have fully funded repairs to the crumbling, century-old State Capitol failed 80-50 in the House on Thursday, falling one vote short of the three-fifths majority required for passage of bonding bills.

Many Democrats voted no because of how disappointed they were with the lack of support for strong regional projects and the needs of the University of Minnesota. While I am not happy with what’s missing (i.e. Southwest Lightrail Project), I will vote yes. Again, the art of compromising is critical and often missing.

Related

DFL legislators and suburban mayors made a last-ditch pitch Friday for state funding to build the Southwest Corridor light-rail line as one key opponent hinted at a path to the money.

Sunset Commission

The Sunset Commission has proven to be a unique bill. Most bills go through one or two committees and then onto the floor. The Sunset bill has gone through five committees (and through the same committee more than once). Here is the trajectory as of this moment:

3/8/2012 - State Government Innovation and Veterans -->

Health and Human Services -->

Judiciary and Public Safety -->

Finance -->

Rules and Administration -->

Rules and Administration -->

Finance -->

4/18/2012 - General Orders

As this update is being published, I am meeting with House and Senate members who have been involved in the formulation of the final bills on both sides.  We are doing our best to vet the differences to eliminate as much disagreement as possible so that this bill can pass.  The Sunset Bill would make certain that the Councils, Commissions, and Health Licensing Boards continue and do not “sunset.” In addition, this bill contains strong language to provide oversight and accountability for the Boards, Councils, and Commissions. We found that to be lacking.

Given the “sunset” potential, it is absolutely crucial that there is an agreed upon solution by session’s end.  I am extremely proud of the bi-partisan effort we have put forward thus far.

Omnibus Game and Fish Bill

The Omnibus Game and Fish bill was put on hold Tuesday after an amendment to delete the increased hunting and fishing fees was added to the bill. The fees would have raised $11 million dollars for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to fund fish stocking, enforcement and management of wildlife areas, conservation law enforcement, and AIS research. I supported this increase and thought it was prudent. This failed on a bi-partisan basis.

The wolf trapping issue that so many of you wrote to me about did make it into this omnibus bill. I would have voted to take it out, but the bill was tabled before the subject came up. If this was in the bill, I would have voted against it.

At this time, no action to reconsider the Game and Fish bill in its entirety is evident.

Joint Parenting – SF1402

This bill increases the presumption of joint parenting time to which a parent is entitled from 25 to 35 percent. It favors shared parenting and participation of both parents in the raising of their children. Because I am a mother of a blended family of four, I understand just how important it is for BOTH parents to have active and engaged roles in their children's lives. My husband and I each brought two children to our marriage 18 years ago. We have co-parented with our former spouses. I understand how challenging yet crucial this is. 

Those who opposed this change are most concerned about putting children in harms way in cases of domestic violence. There are protections for that in the bill. Child custody legislation is so sensitive given we are talking about the most important job in the world – parenting. I take this issue so seriously and will do all I can to ensure a fair and safe resolution.

I want to thank all who contacted me with personal stories in regards to this bill. It does make a difference.

June Primaries

Two years ago I carried a bill to change our September primary to June. While that didn’t pass, we did move it to August. At the time, we said that in the future we would reconsider June. Little did I know that the time would be so soon. The House passed a June primary and I was appointed to the conference committee. We will vote on this on Monday. I am not certain if we will have the votes. Members are for and against on both sides. I believe anything that allows for MORE people to choose their candidate is worth doing. The endorsement process is very exclusive. Having a primary so far from the endorsement and so close to the General Election discourages candidates from going to a primary. I am for making it certain that the very best candidates come forward.

If there is an issue that is important to you that was not discussed above, please do not hesitate to contact my legislative assistant, Brad Shapiro (brad.shapiro@senate.mn), for an update. 

Video of the Week: Parent Child Home Program

We shared this Parent Child Home Program video in a previous update, but since we passed and funded this program, we decided to include it again.

Please click here to watch this fantastic video.

Assorted News

I lost a dear friend to cancer this past week, Jenny Engh. Jenny and I became fast friends after she gave me a crash course on tax policy in my first days in the Senate (Jenny was Government Affairs Director at Cargill and a former State official). I am so lucky to carry her spirit with me today.

The Minnesota Senate welcomed its newest member Wednesday as former Rep. Lyle Koenen took the oath of office.

Warm Regards, 

Terri