Senate Republicans and House Democrats highlight session priorities
Lawmakers introduced 122 new bills the first week of the 2019 legislative session. The House Democrats and Senate Republicans both held press conferences this week highlighting their top priorities. In the House, Democrats described the first ten bills as the “Minnesota Values Agenda.” Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, said, “Our work will focus on improving economic prosperity for all families across the state.”
The ten bills include The Great Start for All Minnesota Children Act, which will invest in early child development. There is a bill that provides for K-12 student support, as well as a bill that provides for more affordable health care. Another priority includes preventing prescription drug price gouging, and a bill was introduced regarding the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act. Another top ten priority for the House Democrats includes rural broadband expansion, as well as wage theft prevention and enforcement. There are two bills introduced in the first ten that address gun safety, and another bill that addresses protecting Minnesotans from sexual harassment.
The Senate Republicans also detailed this week the Senate’s first five bills, which they believe are also the most pressing issues facing Minnesota. Their top five bills/priorities include an investment in mental health. This includes funding for mental health counseling for farmers through Minnesota State’s farm business management program. Another priority for the Senate is child care reform, and making affordable and accessible child care options available.
One of the Senate Republicans’ top five priorities includes healthcare cost reduction. This includes lowering health insurance premiums and making health care billing more transparent. The Senate also said they would like to hold government more accountable, and they introduced a bill that would allow for conforming to the new federal tax laws.
You may find a complete list of new bill introductions
HERE
. Throughout session we will include a link at the bottom of every update under “Important Links” with an updated bill tracking document.
Committee hearings pick up next week
Committees did not meet this week, but plan to get started next week (see the below schedule). The Senate Higher Education Finance and Policy committee is scheduled to hear from Minnesota State about their budget request Tuesday, January 15 at 1:00 p.m.
Minnesota State is asking lawmakers to fund a
$246 million budget request.
This includes $169 million to fund the campus inflationary costs at three percent. The investment will support the financial health of every campus, protect access and affordability, improve student success, reduce economic and racial disparities and help meet Minnesota’s critical need for talent.
The other components of Minnesota State’s budget request includes $37 million for critical technology replacement of the twenty year old outdated ISRS data system. Across the state, the system processes more than 100,000 financial transactions each business day, as well as more than one million student logins that take place at the start of each semester. The system’s technology infrastructure is used daily by 400,000 people, including faculty, staff and students.
In order to strengthen access through tuition strategies and address the workforce opportunity gap, the remaining request includes $25 million for two new grant programs for students to help them advance and succeed. There is also $15 million in Minnesota State’s budget request to address the workforce gap through innovative career, technical, and professional programming serving business and industry. Funding will help strengthen and expand the K-12 career and technical pipeline and grow K-12 collaborative programming, and develop new teacher education pathways in career technical education in support of K-12 and higher education programming.
Also on Tuesday following the Senate at 2:30 p.m., Minnesota State will be presenting to the House Higher Education Finance and Policy Division the system’s vision, mission and goals. This presentation will be more informational about the Minnesota State system.
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Next Week at the Capitol
Monday, January 14
9:45 a.m.
House Ways and Means
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Lyndon Carlson
Agenda:
Introduction of members and staff.
MMB Commissioner Myron Frans update on partial federal government shutdown impact on Minnesota
11:00 a.m.
Senate in Session
3:30 p.m.
House in Session
Tuesday, January 15
8:00 a.m.
House Capital Investment
Room: 10 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Mary Murphy
Agenda: The State’s Investment in Infrastructure This Century; Andrew Lee, Fiscal Analyst.
State Capital Investments That Have Significantly Impacted Committee Member Regions.
8:00 a.m.
House State Government Finance Division
Room: Basement hearing room
Chair: Rep. Michael Nelson
Agenda: Introductions of Members and Staff
Presentation by Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner Myron Frans
State Budget Forecast and implications for the Committee
Effects of Federal Government Shutdown on State of Minnesota
Presentation by Matt Gehring and Helen Roberts.
Non-partisan Committee Staff will discuss the Committee's Chart of Accounts and the committee process
8:00 a.m.
House Jobs and Economic Development Finance
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Tim Mahoney
Agenda: Introduction of members and staff
Staff presentations:
Anna Scholin, Legislative Analyst, House Research Department
Ben Weeks, Legislative Analyst, House Research Department
Solveig Beckel, Fiscal Analyst, House Fiscal Department
9:45 a.m.
House Agriculture and Food Finance and Policy Division
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Jeanne Poppe
Agenda: MN Department of Agriculture update on federal 2019 Farm Bill and big picture discussion of how MN can build on it
Agricultural Research, Education, Extension, and Technology Transfer Program (AGREETT) Update by University of Minnesota College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (CFANS) Dean Brian Buhr
9:45 a.m.
House Education Finance
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Jim Davnie
Agenda: Introductions
Education overview – MDE presentation
9:45 a.m.
House Government Operations
Room: Basement hearing room
Chair: Rep. Mike Freiberg
Agenda:
. Members and Staff Introductions
Committee Rules
House Research, Presentation
Department of Administration, Presentation
Office of Administrative Hearings, Presentation
Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement, Presentation
1:00 p.m.
Senate Higher Education Finance and Policy
Room: 15 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Paul Anderson
Agenda: Budget proposal presentations from Minnesota State and the University of Minnesota
2:30 p.m.
House Higher Education Finance and Policy Division
Room: 10 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Connie Bernardy
Agenda: Introduction of Members & Staff
Minnesota State presentation of vision, mission, and goals
University of Minnesota presentation of vision, mission, and goals
2:30 p.m.
House Education Policy
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Cheryl Youakim
Agenda:
Introductions of Committee Members and Staff
Committee Rules
Overview of Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and the World's Best Workforce
Stephanie Graff
Minnesota Department of Education, Director of Equity and Opportunity
Overview of Professional Educators Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB)
Alex Luizzi
PELSB, Executive Director
3:00 p.m.
Senate Agriculture, Rural Development, and Housing Policy
Room: 1150 Minnesota Senate Building
Chair: Sen. Bill Weber
Agenda: Membership Introductions
2019 Farm Overview:
- Paul Lanoue, Farm Business Management
- Jeff Schmidt, AgCountry, Chief Risk Officer
Wednesday, January 16
8:30 a.m.
Senate Finance
Room: 1200 Senate Building
Chair: Sen. Julie A. Rosen
Agenda:
Recap of November forecast
Myron Frans, Commissioner, Minnesota Management & Budget
Dr. Laura Kalambokidis, State Economist
Britta Reitan, State Budget Director
1:00 p.m.
Senate Jobs and Economic Growth Finance and Policy
Room: 1150 Minnesota Senate Bldg.
Chair: Sen. Eric R. Pratt
Agenda: Introduction of New Committee Members
Committee Jurisdiction Update
Introduction and Update from Commissioners
Thursday, January 17
8:00 a.m.
House Capital Investment
Room: 10 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Mary Murphy
Agenda: What is State Bonding? An Explanation of the Different Types of Bonding; Deborah Dyson, House Researcher and Andrew Lee, Fiscal Analyst.
How Much Debt Capacity Does Minnesota Have and How Is It Measured? Minnesota Management and Budget Office.
Continuation of Reports from January 15th meeting.
8:30 a.m.
Senate Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy
Room: 1100 Minnesota Senate Building
Chair: Sen. Bruce Anderson
Agenda:
Introduction of Commissioner of Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs Larry Herke
Overview: Department of Veterans Affairs
Overview: Department of Military Affairs
S.F. 58-Jasinski: Disabled veteran\'s homestead market value exclusion administration data sharing permission
9:45 a.m.
House Agriculture and Food Finance and Policy Division
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Jeanne Poppe
Agenda: MN Department of Agriculture update on federal 2019 Farm Bill and big picture discussion of how MN can build on it
Agricultural Research, Education, Extension, and Technology Transfer Program (AGREETT) Update by University of Minnesota College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (CFANS) Dean Brian Buhr
1:00 p.m.
Senate Higher Education Finance and Policy
Room: 15 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Paul Anderson
Agenda: Office of Higher Education State Grant Overview:
Dennis Olson, Commissioner
Meredith Fergus, Office of Higher Education
