Senate moves bonding bill, releases budget and shapes higher education omnibus bill; Oral practitioner bill advances; Federal Appropriations passed

Legislative Update
March 13, 2009

Bonding bill on fast track in Senate

After the Senate Capital Investment committee put its bill bonding bill in order earlier this week, the Senate Finance Committee passed the $367 million bill, with close to 60 percent of the bill for asset preservation projects that can begin immediately. Finance Committee Chair Richard Cohen, DFL-Minneapolis, said the bill provides a limited kick start to Minnesota's economy by directing funds to projects that are ready to go.

Included in SF 781, authored by Sen. Keith Langseth, DFL-Glyndon, is $90.28 million for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, including $50 million in repair and replacement projects, along with the five vetoed projects from 2008. Those projects include $11.55 million for the health and science center addition at Lake Superior College; $5.25 million for carpentry and industrial mechanical technology shops at Mesabi Range Community and Technical College; $5.7 million for the smart classroom center at Metropolitan State University; $13.97 million for the center for business and technology at North Hennepin Community College; and $3.8 million for the system wide classroom renovation initiative at Central Lakes College, Minnesota State Community and Technical College, Minnesota West Community and Technical College, Northland Community and Technical College, Pine Technical College and Rochester Community and Technical College.

Langseth said he would like the bill to be done quickly, at least by April 1. The bill heads next to the Senate floor. Over in the House, the Capital Investment Committee is scheduled to hear from the Finance Division chairs next week with their committee's bonding recommendations. When House leadership was asked today in their weekly press conference about a bonding bill, Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis, said she thinks the House bill will be a little more conservative than the Senate bill, but could not speak to a number until leadership had discussions with Capital Investment Chair Alice Hausman, DFL-St. Paul. Once the House and Senate agree on a compromise bill in conference committee, it will go to the governor for signature. However, Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s spokesperson, Alex Carey, has said that while the governor is open to a bonding bill, he would like a limited bonding bill that’s related to state obligations to make full use of the federal stimulus package.

A copy of the Senate bill can be found here.

The bonding proposal spreadsheet can be found here.

Senate leaders propose budget plan, House to set plan next week

As lawmakers and the governor wrestle with a $6.4 billion budget deficit, Senate leadership proposed a 7 percent across-the-board budget cut this week for both the 2010-11 and the 2012-13 bienniums. Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis, said the Senate is thinking about the budget problem as a long-term structural issue and will be taking a four-year balanced budget approach. The 7 percent reduction, which represents $2.4 billion in cuts, includes higher education as well as K-12 education. Pogemiller said there is no way to take K-12 off the table with so large a deficit. He also said that the federal one-time stimulus funds of $2 billion will help through this time of transition, but will not help solve the long term problem. In addition, Majority Leader Pogemiller said the Senate majority is proposing $2 billion in new revenue. He said if the state does not resolve the budget problem now, it never will get ahead of the game.

House leaders said they will release their budget proposal next week. Speaker Kelliher said in a press conference today that the House’s budget targets, which should be available by March 20, also may include plans for increasing revenues. However, she said the details of any tax increases would be left up to the House Tax Committee.

Kelliher said the House’s solution to the budget deficit also will focus on balancing the budget for four years, not just the coming biennium. House Majority Leader Tony Sertich, DFL-Chisholm, said he appreciates the Senate leadership taking the four-year balanced budget approach, too. Sertich said once the first committee deadline of March 27 passes, folks will start to get a sense of what issues will take precedence. As a reminder, according to the committee deadlines set by the House and Senate, all omnibus appropriation bills are to be done by April 16. Stay tuned.

Senate higher education omnibus bill begins to take shape

The Senate Higher Education Budget and Policy Division processed multiple bills this week including SF 361, sponsored by Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park. The bill creates course equivalency guides for military course work. Latz said the bill saves time and tuition dollars for veterans and creates an incentive for veterans to come to Minnesota for postsecondary education. Deputy Commissioner Michael Pugliese, Veterans Affairs, said the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system already does a good job of providing credit for courses transferred from military experience. The bill was approved and laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill.

Also heard was SF 537, sponsored by Sen. Ron Latz. The bill requires postsecondary institutions to notify prospective students of the potential effects of a criminal conviction on future employment. Mark Haase, director of public policy for the Council on Crime and Justice, said the bill saves time and tuition for students who have a criminal background because they would be warned about future employment restrictions prior to entering their field of education. The committee adopted an amendment offered by Sen. Kathy Sheran, DFL-Mankato, to add a notification for postsecondary students regarding the effect a criminal conviction may have on obtaining federal, state and other higher education financial aid. The bill was approved as amended and was re-referred to the Judiciary Committee. The bill also was laid over for inclusion in the omnibus bill.

Legislators determine two versions of an oral health practitioner is better than one

Two bills offering different approaches to establishing the requirements and practice limitations for an oral health practitioner were the focus of the Senate Health, Housing and Family Security Committee this week. Members heard extensive testimony on both bills before advancing one combined measure to the Finance committee.

SF 1106, sponsored by Sen. Ann Lynch, DFL-Rochester, establishes licensure and practice limitations for an oral health practitioner. SF 641 sponsored by Sen. Yvonne Prettner Solon, DFL-Duluth, establishes licensure and practice limitations for dental therapists.

Lynch said SF 1106 sets forth the licensure requirements for an oral health practitioner. Under the bill, the individual must have graduated with a bachelor's or master's degree from an accredited or approved oral health practitioner education program, passed a comprehensive, competency-based clinical exam and an exam on the state's laws and rules relating to dentistry. The bill also allows the oral health practitioner to use the services of dental assistants, dental technicians and licensed dental hygienists. Lynch said the bill requires the practitioner to practice under the supervision of a Minnesota licensed dentist and limits the practice to settings that serve low-income, uninsured or underserved patients or settings located in a dental health professional area.

Metropolitan State University President Sue Hammersmith said that the dental hygiene faculty are experienced and ready to teach students. Minnesota has people in need of dental care now. She said, “It’s time to move ahead. The children are waiting, the elderly are waiting and so are the low-income.”

David Penua, a parent whose children would not have had access to dental service without the Children’s Dental Service, an organization that serves the underserved, said, “My children are excited about getting their teeth cleaned (because of this service).”

Marilyn Loen, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Metropolitan State University, described the curriculum that the university has developed for oral health practitioners. She said the scope of practice is widened under the Metropolitan State approach to allow the individual to provide services to the underserved while the collaborative dentist is off-site.

Sen. Prettner Solon described the other bill, SF 641, that requires a dental therapist to work under the supervision of a Minnesota licensed dentist and requires the collaborating dentist to accept responsibility for all services authorized and performed by the dental therapist. The bill also provides that a dental therapist may perform preventive, evaluative and educational oral health services. Patrick Lloyd, dean, described the curriculum developed by the School of Dentistry at the University of Minnesota. He said under the university's model the dental therapist could provide services only when the collaborative dentist is on-site.

The committee agreed to create two versions of dental therapists with different training requirements. One version would require more oversight, and the other could operate more independently. Members adopted an amendment attaching the language of SF 641 to the language of SF 1106 and advanced SF 1106 as amended to the Committee on Finance.

The companion bills in the House also were heard this week in the House Licensing Division chaired by Rep. Cy Thao, DFL-St. Paul. After hearing similar testimony, committee members decided to advance both bills separately.

President Obama signs FY2009 Appropriations Bill

The U.S. Senate passed the fiscal year 2009 omnibus appropriations bill earlier this week that will fund federal programs for fiscal year 2009, and President Obama signed the bill into law. The bill is a compilation of nine spending bills that the previous Congress was unable to finish before adjourning, including the Labor-HHS-Education bill. Overall, the bill spends $410 billion and provides a $4.4 billion increase in funding for educational programs over the fiscal year 2008 level. Included in the bill is $17.3 billion for Pell grants. In addition to the funds provided in the stimulus package, $17.3 billion would provide a maximum award of $5,350 and is an increase of $3.1 billion over the prior fiscal year.

GEAR UP, a discretionary grant program designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education, also received a funding increase. The bill provides $313 million for the GEAR UP program , an increase of $9.8 million over fiscal year 2008 levels. And the bill increases the funding for the Perkins Loan program by $2.8 million to a level of $67.2 million for fiscal year 2009.

A push for college affordability

College affordability should be a top policy priority in higher education. The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education is making the recommendation even as the nation experiences a difficult economy. In the statement, “The Challenge to States: Preserving College Access and Affordability in a Time of Financial Crisis,” the organization argues that now is not the time to raise tuition, a practice common to help balance the budget. Some of the included new state policy approaches include:

• Rejecting budget cuts to higher education that are disproportionately larger than reductions for other state services;
• Avoiding substantial increases in tuition and supporting financial aid for needy students, even if that means redirecting some funds from institutional aid or merit-based student aid programs;
• Admitting all eligible undergraduate students to an institution that can adequately serve them, even if that means freezing or reducing enrollment in some graduate and professional programs;
• Shifting faculty teaching from graduate to undergraduate education and increasing teaching expectations, if necessary, to maintain undergraduate enrollments;
• Setting clear targets for increasing colleges' and universities' efficiency and effectiveness;
• Streamlining college administration and eliminating unnecessary state regulations; and
• Using one-time revenues, including federal stimulus funds, to preserve access and affordability and to invest in efforts designed to increase productivity and instructional quality.

The full statement could be found here.

Here's What's Happening at the Capitol:

This schedule shows all meetings that we are aware of at the time of publication that MAY have an impact on the system. This schedule may change. Please watch the House and Senate schedules posted on the Legislature web site.

Monday, March 16

9:30 AM
Legislative Audit Commission
Room: 107 State Capitol
Chairs: Rep. Michael Beard, Sen. Ann Rest
Agenda: Release evaluation report: Minnesota State Colleges and Unviersities Occupational Programs

10:30 AM (televised and webcast live)
House Finance
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Lyndon Carlson
Agenda: Presentation on cooperative purchasing by the Midwestern Higher Education Compact and Commissioner Dan McElroy
HF72 (Norton) Lifelong learning account program established, tax credits allowed to employers and employees for contributions to lifelong learning accounts, funding provided and money appropriated.
HF619 (Hornstein) Public Safety Department authorized to collect fuel decal fee for International Fuel Tax Agreement, and cost of decal rule removed.

11:00 AM (televised and webcast live)
Senate in Session

12:30 PM
Senate State Government Budget Division
Room: 112 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Don Betzold
Agenda:
S.F. 334-Prettner Solon: State employee veterans with service-related disabilities additional sick leave provision.
S.F. 1395-Betzold: State government finance and appropriations; technology lease-purchase, state appropriation bonds, statewide electronic licensing system; cooperative purchasing; environmental quality board transfer to pollution control agency.
(SF 1395 is an information only discussion)

1:00 PM (televised and webcast live)
House in Session

Tuesday, March 17

8:30 AM
Senate Education
Room: 112 Capitol
Chair: Sen. LeRoy A. Stumpf
Agenda:
S.F. 1253-Wiger: Prekindergarten through grade 12 education policy provisions modifications.

8:30 AM
House K-12 Education Policy
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Carlos Mariani
Agenda: HF1441 (Brynaert) State measures of student achievement growth established.

10:30 AM
House Bioscience and Workforce Development Policy and Oversight Division
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Tim Mahoney
Agenda: HF1116 (Davnie) Unemployment benefit requirements waived for dislocated workers, Minnesota investment fund authorization expanded, unemployment provisions modified, appeals required to be filed online, collection fee provided, unemployment benefit filing regulated, terms defined and clarified, and money appropriated.
HF42 (Thissen) Four-month waiting period waived for unemployed persons for Minnesota Care, and money appropriated.
HF1048 (Brynaert) Eligibility for benefits under certain training programs provided.

1:00 PM
House Higher Education and Workforce Development Finance and Policy Division
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Representative Tom Rukavina
Agenda:
Institutional accreditation and financial aid eligibility: Office of Higher Education, Unaccredited career schools
HF1414 (Bigham) State grant program eligibility changed
HF1560 (Atkins) State grant program modified
HF1374 (Buesgens) Stable tuition rate guarantee

2:45 PM
House Capital Investment Finance Division
Room: Basement Hearing Room
Chair: Rep. Alice Hausman
Agenda: Bonding recommendations from Finance Divisions

7:00 PM
Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement
Room 123 Capitol
Chair: Senator Don Betzold
Agenda:
S.F. 921 (Betzold); H.F. 1124 (Murphy, M.): MSRS-C; Department of Corrections recommendations for plan coverage expansion.
S.F. 1191 (Rosen); H.F. 1383 (Gunther): Fairmont Police Relief Association; Amortization target date extended from 2010 to 2020.
S.F. xxxx; H.F. 1279 (Paymar), Articles 3 and 4: Correctional state employees retirement plan revised; vesting period for retirement annuity modified; service credit transfer permitted.
Other items as designated by the Commission chair

Wednesday, March 18

8:30 AM
Meeting Time Note: Committee will recess at 10:00 AM and reconvene at 6:30 PM in the House K-12 Education Policy
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Carlos Mariani
Agenda: HF1538 (Mariani) Educational innovation fostered to improve student and school performance.
HF1188 (Winkler) E-16 reforms pursued to improve and expand opportunities for all students to attain educational success, and E-16 advisory subcommittees established.
HF575 (Simon) Driver education requirements modified for obtaining an instruction permit.
HF1186 (Mariani) Center established for legislative educational analysis research and navigation in the next generation.
HF1212 (Brown) Deaf or hard of hearing resource center provisions modified.
HF1359 (Peterson) School districts required to offer at least two academic years of elective high school level world languages courses.

10:30 AM
House Bioscience and Workforce Development Policy and Oversight Division
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Tim Mahoney
Agenda: HF1029 (Winkler) BioBusiness Alliance funding provided, and money appropriated.
HFXXXX (Brynaert) International Renewable Energy Technology Institute funding provided, and money appropriated.
HF1549 (Mahoney) Pine Island; Water and sewer infrastructure grant provided, and money appropriated.
HF1575 (Mahoney) Matching grant program established, and money appropriated.

12:30 PM
House in Session

2:45 PM
House Energy Finance and Policy Division
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Bill Hilty
Agenda: HF680 (Kalin) Federal stimulus funding allocated for energy programs.
HF958 (Olin) State agencies authorized to develop plan for using federal stimulus funds dedicated to energy projects to install energy-efficient windows in government and residential buildings, to weatherize residential buildings, and to train installers, and money appropriated.
HF1052 (Olin) Kennedy; Energy conversion of former school building funding provided, green economy promoted, and money appropriated.
HF1408 (Eken) Small power producer grant program created, and money appropriated.
HF1469 (Johnson) St. Paul; commercial and industrial energy efficiency improvement demonstration program funding provided, and money appropriated.

3:00 PM
Senate Economic Development and Housing Budget Division
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. David J. Tomassoni
Agenda:
S.F. 952-Sparks: Bio Business Alliance appropriation.
S.F. 1057-Olson, M. A.: Opportunities industrialization centers appropriation.
S.F. 1197-Tomassoni: Unemployment insurance state law federal stimulus funds conformance modifications and appropriation.
S.F. 1198-Bonoff: Employment and economic development and unemployment insurance regulations policy and technical provisions modifications.
S.F. 1329-Frederickson: Clean water and drinking water revolving fund loans and grants use of federal stimulus funds.

Thursday, March 19

8:30 AM
Senate E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division
Room: 112 Capitol
Chair: Sen. LeRoy A. Stumpf
Agenda:
S.F. 866-Saltzman: Teachers reading instruction competence assessment licensure requirement.
S.F. 851-Saltzman: Minnesota reading corps program establishment and appropriation.

8:30 AM
House K-12 Education Policy
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Carlos Mariani
Agenda: HF1665 (Swails) Education; Best practices center for shared services established.
HF1630 (Kalin) Schedule established for aligning assessments to academic standards.

8:30 AM
State and Local Government Operations Reform, Technology and Elections Committee Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Gene Pelowski
Agenda: HF817 (Kahn) Postsecondary institution requirements expanded to report resident student information to the secretary of state for voter registration purposes, and enhanced access required to voter registration records of returned absentee ballots on the World wide Web.
HF1053 (Simon) Public officials required to provide additional data to the secretary of state for use in maintaining the voter registration system, and automatic voter registration of applicants for a driver's license, instruction permit, or identification card provided.

12:30 PM
Senate Higher Education Budget and Policy Division
Room: 123 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Sandra L. Pappas
Agenda: Testimony from previously scheduled groups:
MINNITEXT Library Services, MNLINK Gateway
S.F. 579-Lynch: Minnesota state colleges and universities (MnSCU) associate of applied science degree requirements modification.
S.F. 644-Dille: Minnesota state colleges and universities (MnSCU) board of trustees semester credits policy requirement removal.
S.F. 972-Erickson Ropes: Minnesota state colleges and universities (MnSCU) semester credit requirement waiver authorization.
Legislative Auditor's Report: MnSCU Occupational Programs

1:00 PM
House Higher Education and Workforce Development Finance and Policy Division
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Representative Tom Rukavina
Agenda:
HF925 (Sertich) Official measure of unemployment expanded
HF 1326 (Rukavina) Emergency employment development program established, wage subsidies provided, and money appropriated.
HF1081 (Mahoney) Small growth business growth acceleration program eligibility expanded, matching funds required, and money appropriated.

2:45 PM
House Capital Investment Finance Division
Room: Basement Hearing Room
Chair: Rep. Alice Hausman
Agenda: Bonding recommendations from Finance Divisions

2:45 PM
House K-12 Finance
Room: 10 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Mindy Greiling
Agenda: HF1001 (Demmer) K-12 education state grants authorized to leverage quality improvements, and money appropriated.
HF1188 (Winkler) E-16 reforms pursued to improve and expand opportunities for all students to attain educational success, and E-16 advisory subcommittees established. (information only)

6:15-10:00 PM
House Higher Education and Workforce Development Finance and Policy Division
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Representative Tom Rukavina
Agenda:
The bills will be announced Monday and later in the week as more are introduced and referred.

Friday, March 20

9:30 AM
Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement
Room: 107 State Capitol
Chairs: Sen. Don Betzold
Agenda: TBA

10:00 AM
Senate State and Local Government Operations and Oversight
Room: 123 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Ann H. Rest
Agenda:
S.F. 915-Dibble: Public employees insurance program school districts employee health insurance coverage purchase requirement.
S.F. 1052-Saltzman: School districts state employee group insurance plan (SEGIP) participation study.
S.F. 1109-Rummel: Legislative educational analysis, research and navigation in the next generation (LEARNING) center establishment.
S.F. 1113-Rummel: Legislative and citizen commission on the future of public education establishment and appropriation.
S.F. 954-Wiger: E-16 education reform recommendations establishment.
S.F. 531-Pappas: Elections affidavits of candidacy residence and telephone disclosures requirement.
S.F. 551-Olseen: Mail balloting expansion and election day polling hours modification.
S.F. 659-Olseen: Election judges restrictions clarifications and appointment lists modifications.
S.F. 804-Gerlach: Election provisions clarifications and modifications; school district transitions; local governing bodies uniform terms.