Updates from the Government Relations team are sent periodically during the legislative session.                                                  
Legislative Update - May 16, 2016
Governor Dayton releases two transportation plans
Withe one week left to go, Governor Dayton on Monday pitched a pair of proposals that would raise $600 million per year for Minnesota road and bridge projects in an attempt to help end the stalemate over transportation funding and pave the way for a broader end-of-session agreement.

Both offers would rely on big increases in license tab fees and $200 million per year in General Fund dollars to boost state transportation spending; one proposal also includes a 5-cent hike in the state’s per gallon gas tax.

The plans represent Dayton’s latest attempt to jump-start negotiations on a comprehensive transportation deal that have appeared to stall as House Republican and Senate DFL plans remain far apart with under a week to go before lawmakers must adjourn the 2016 session.

“Compromise requires us to agree to things we don’t agree with,” the governor said in a statement. “That is the only way to pass a transportation funding bill this session.”

House Republicans have said they won’t support any transportation bill that includes a gas tax increase. The Senate’s latest offer includes a slightly scaled-back proposed increase of 12 cents phased in over three years.

House Speaker Kurt Daudt (R-Crown) sounded a positive note following a Monday morning meeting with Dayton, Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook) and other legislative leaders, saying the governor’s offer helped move negotiations in the right direction. In particular, he praised Dayton’s proposed use of General Fund surplus dollars.

Daudt said steep tab fee increases are tough for House Republicans to swallow, though, and not what Minnesotans want to see.

“Minnesotans are going to wonder,” he said. “You have a $900 million surplus. Why aren’t you using that to fund roads and bridges?”

Daudt also criticized the governor on transit.

Dayton “didn’t move one inch” toward House Republicans on the issue, he said, calling the proposed half-cent increase in a transit-dedicated metro area sales tax and $280 million in annual transit spending included in both of Monday’s offers “staggering.”

The current Republican offer leaves out any increase in funding for Twin Cities transit projects, but leaves the door open if any increases were tied to sweeping reforms of Metropolitan Council governance.

Despite the differences, Daudt said he’s optimistic a deal can be struck this week. Dayton said anything short of passing a transportation package would be a failure.

“It’s either success or failure — there’s no in-between,” Dayton said. “I’m not up facing the voters, but I wouldn’t want to go before voters next fall and say, ‘We failed on the most important measure this session faced us.’”
Labor contracts and agreements pass onto House floor
In House Ways and Means on Monday, three bills, that includes MnSCU labor agreements and plans, were approved and sent to the House floor.
  • HF3255 (Knoblach) - Labor agreements ratified, and compensation plan approved.
  • HF3584 (Cornish) - Labor agreements ratified.
  • HF3585 (Drazkowski) - Labor agreements and compensation plans ratified, affirmative approval required before interim implementation of state employee collective bargaining agreements, exclusive representatives prohibited from requiring political contributions, and open meetings required.

If contracts aren't granted interim approval, the amended bill presented by Drazkowski would delay the implementation of wage increases until agreements are approved by the Legislature.

In addition, the amended bill requires all contract negotiation meetings to be open to the public, as well as providing a large enough meeting room to accommodate those who want to attend. Advance notice of all negotiation meetings must be placed on the front page on the employer’s website.

Drazkowsksi’s amendment also prohibits the expenditure of any dues money on politics. 

The Senate has previously approved all labor agreements and plans in one single bill authored by Sen. Metzen.
Omnibus Supplemental Conference Committee
The supplemental conference committee met late Sunday evening and began to adopt provisions that contained similar language in both the House and Senate bills. The conference committee was scheduled to meet on Monday evening following the House floor discussion but due to lengthy debate, the meeting was cancelled. There is still no talk of targets for a supplemental budget.

This week at the Capitol

Tuesday, May 17

8:30 a.m.
Senate State and Local Government
Room 1100 Minnesota Senate Bldg.
Chair: Sen. Patricia Torres Ray
Agenda: S.F. 588-Pappas: Minnesota state retirement system (MSRS) general state employees retirement plan disability application deadlines modification.

11:00 a.m.
Senate in Session

5:00 p.m. (call of chair)
House State Government Finance
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Sarah Anderson
Agenda: HF659 (O'Driscoll) - Disability application deadlines for the general state employees retirement plan modified.

6:00 p.m. (call of chair)
Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Tim O'Driscoll
Agenda:
Amendment H2807-12A: PERA Statewide Volunteer Firefighter Plan; Delete requirement that the first relief association to join the monthly benefit division be reimbursed for PERA's administrative expenses by relief associations that join later.
Amendment H2807-11A: Technical corrections.
Amendment H2807-16A: MSRS, TRA, SPTRFA; Reduction of COLA for one year, elimination of COLA triggers and, for SPTRFA, increase in employer contribution.
2016 Omnibus Retirement Bill, in the form of delete-all amendment H2807-10A.


Thursday, May 19

At the Call of the Chair
Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development
Room: 2308 Minnesota Senate Building
Chair: Sen. Terri E. Bonoff
Agenda: Office of the Legislative Auditor, a review of restructuring currently underway at the University of Minnesota related to human subject research and clinical drug studies.      

Important Links:

  • Most recent bill introductions related to higher education (compiled by Government Relations team) SPREADSHEET (updated 4/20/16)
  • Committee schedules can be found HERE
  • Many committee hearings and floor sessions are streamed live via the web or broadcast on television. More information and a schedule can be found HERE

Government Relations team:

Jaime Simonsen – Jaime.simonsen@so.mnscu.edu
Bernie Omann – Bernie.omann@so.mnscu.edu
Jim Grathwol – jim.grathwol@so.mnscu.edu