Dear neighbors,

This week marked the first committee deadline, which means that most bills must have been heard in at least one committee for it to continue moving through the legislative process. This deadline does not apply to most finance-, tax-, and capital investment-related bills. The deadline process ensures bills are moving through the legislative process with enough time for adequate public debate and input. There are two months left of this legislative session as we must adjourn by May 21.

-Bill

Ag policy bill passes committee

On Thursday, the Agriculture, Rural Development and Housing Policy Committee passed the omnibus ag policy bill brought to us from the Department of Agriculture. There were some amendments added to the bill in committee – I will address more of those amendments in the future, but one controversial amendment requires the Dayton administration’s “nitrogen rule” be approved by the legislature before it can be implemented.

While Governor Dayton and the Department of Agriculture announced an outline of the rule several weeks ago, the details are not fully available and may not be fully available until the legislature has adjourned. This makes me question the reasonableness and practical nature of the final rule. It is the belief of many of us in the legislature that we have both a duty and a right to have input and oversight on an issue that has the potential to greatly impact Minnesota’s agricultural community. This will undoubtedly be an item of debate moving forward and is an issue on which rural legislators like myself have strong opinions. I will continue to keep you updated both in this newsletter and on Facebook.

Find me on Facebook

For weekly video updates, news releases, articles, and much more, be sure to follow my Facebook page.

MNLARS update

On Thursday, the Senate passed bipartisan legislation aimed at bringing the failed Minnesota Licensing and Vehicle Registration System to functionality. The bill has been signed into law by the governor.

For context: despite a decade of planning and over $93 million, the Minnesota Vehicle and Licensing Registration System (MNLARS) was rolled out last July to
widespread problems. The MNLARS failure has been especially hard on deputy registrars, who have no choice but to use the failed software every day. In the eight months since its release, those difficulties largely remain.

Legislation authorizing $9.65 million from existing driver and vehicle services funds passed out of a joint conference committee and was passed by the full Senate on Thursday. The bill addresses the immediate costs of I.T. support. However, while there is no question that MNLARS must be fixed, it cannot come without strict legislative oversight – a large portion of our proposal. The bill requires the Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Minnesota IT Services (MN.IT) officials to submit a proposed timeline, including quarterly benchmarks, for a fully-functional MNLARS to the Legislative Advisory Committee by May 15. As the software is developed, the Legislative Advisory Committee must approve any additional quarterly appropriation, provided the quarterly benchmarks are being met. Also, the Office of the Legislative Auditor will be reviewing the process to ensure a fair and unbiased evaluation of how MN.IT is meeting its goals.

Medical Assistance work requirement

With the cost of government welfare programs soaring, legislation that requires able-bodied Medical Assistance recipients in Minnesota to find gainful employment was introduced. The proposal aims to bolster Minnesota’s workforce and lift Minnesotans out of poverty by implementing work or job training requirements for able-bodied adults currently on Medical Assistance, Minnesota’s version of Medicaid. The requirements would not apply to a child’s sole caregiver, or anyone with a disability, certain medical diagnoses, addictions, or other barriers to employment.

Under the proposed legislation, able-bodied adults who are not the sole caretaker of a child would be required to work or be engaged in community or public service for at least 80 hours per month, be seeking employment, or enrolled in a job training program. Nearly identical requirements are already in place for SNAP at the federal level, meaning anyone who is meeting the requirements for the SNAP program would fulfill the requirements under the proposed legislation.

The legislation is currently in the committee process.

Affordable textbooks

Legislation requiring the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities to develop a plan for making textbooks more affordable passed a key Senate committee this week. The bill requires Minnesota State to implement the use of “affordable textbooks” – books less than $40 or innovative ideas such as online textbooks – in 15 percent of its courses by August 2020. With the cost of higher education continuing to increase, this is important for making sure college is affordable and accessible to all Minnesotans.