House expected to pass bonding bill, Governor's supplemental budget released

Today at the Capitol:

While most people are off for the Presidents’ Day holiday, lawmakers are back in St. Paul and ready to begin work. It is rounding up to be a busy day. House legislators will meet at 1 p.m. to pass the House version of the bonding bill. You may recall that the Senate already passed its bill. The next step will be forming a conference committee to iron out the differences between both versions of the bill. Conferees should be named soon after the bill is passed, please watch for an announcement.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty is also expected to release his version of the supplemental budget today. With a projected $1.2 billion shortfall in the state budget, it is expected that the governor will solve the deficit with cuts to state programs. Under the federal stimulus package, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, each state was required to follow a “maintenance of effort” spending proposal in education. This means that if a state chose to receive federal education funding, it could not dip below the 2006 funding levels in education. To abide by this rule, Minnesota can only cut $46.6 million more out of the higher education funding. This cut could be split evenly between the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. If the cut is distributed in accordance with 2006 funding levels, the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities would receive a $10.5 million cut while the University of Minnesota would get reduced by 36.1 million. Stay tuned.


Monday, February 15

11:00 AM
Senate in Session

1:00 PM
House in Session
Bonding bill

6:30 PM *Note time change*
House Ways & Means and Finance
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Loren Solberg and Rep Lyndon Carlson
Agenda: Governor’s supplemental budget

Looking ahead

Tuesday, February 16

8:30 AM
E-12 Education and Budget Policy Division
Chair: Sen. LeRoy Stumpf
Room 112 Capitol
Agenda:
E-12 Shift Presentation - Fiscal Staff

8:30 AM
House K-12 Education Policy and Oversight
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Carlos Mariani
Agenda: Lessons learned on high school assessment and accountability
Dirk Mattson, Director, Assessments and Testing, Minnesota Department of Education
Kent Pekel, Director, College Readiness Consortium, University of Minnesota

10:30 AM
House Bioscience and Workforce Development Policy and Oversight Division
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Tim Mahoney
Agenda: Presentation by the Minnesota Science and Technology Economic
Development Project Committee
Presentation of DEED Uniform Program Accountability Measures

12:30 PM
Senate Higher Education Budget and Policy Division
Room: 123 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Sandra L. Pappas
Agenda:
Office of Higher Education:
1. State grant short fall and solution
2. Achieve shortfall and solution
3. Preliminary Minnesota Postsecondary Enrollment Census for Fall 2009
4. Minnesota's 2008 High School Graduates Enrolled in College at Record
Rates
Governor’s Budget

1:00 PM
House Higher Education and Work Force Development Policy and Finance Division
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Tom Rukavina
Agenda: Economic Development and Job Creation
Natural Resources Research Institute - Michael Lalich, director
Green energy development and other innovative natural resources strategies
Status and needs of the Minnesota manufacturing sector
Central Minnesota Maufacturers Association - Les Engel, president

7:00 PM
Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen Betzold
Agenda: One-person/small group legislation:
S.F. 1374 (Metzen); H.F. 1569 (Hansen): PERA-P&F; Joint and survivor annuity for the divorced spouse of a deceased retiree who elected a single life annuity.
S.F. xxx; H.F. 2550 (Poppe): MSRS/MnSCU/TRA; Permitting the repayment of certain member contribution refunds; authorizing a second chance option to elect TRA retirement plan benefit coverage; mandating certain contributions.
S.F. 2394 (Pariseau); H.F. xxx: PERA; Authorizing a late disability benefit application in certain cases.
S.F. xxx; H.F. xxx (Peterson, S.) (07-2763): SPTRFA; Service credit purchase for uncredited prior teaching service.
S.F. 2463 (Rummel); H.F. 2651 (McFarlane): PERA-P&F; Revise Social Security leveling option to single-life annuity.
LCPR09-070 (Atkins): PERA; Purchase of prior service credit for a period of omitted member deductions for certain Inver Grove Heights public school employees.
LCPR10-018 (Olson, M.): TRA; Alternative retirement annuity computation for former Red Lake Senior High School principal.
Added to the agenda:
LCPR09-062 (Thissen) PERA-P&F/Faribault Fire; Revised post-retirement adjustment and annuity adjustment for retired Faribault firefighter.

Wednesday, February 17

8:30 AM
House K-12 Education Policy and Oversight
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Carlos Mariani
Agenda: HF664 (Welti) Mental health model curriculum created.
HF2705 (Peterson) High school student transition plan implemented for successful pursuit of postsecondary education and employment, and money appropriated.
HF2814 (Swails) Pupil transportation provisions modified, certain lift buses included in category of revenue authorized reimbursement, and contracted transportation costs included as a method for allocating pupil transportation costs.

10:30 AM
House Bioscience and Workforce Development
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Tim Mahoney
Agenda: Office of the Legislative Auditor report: Workforce Programs

12:30 PM
Senate Business, Industry and Jobs
Room: 123 Capitol
Chair: Sen. James P. Metzen
Agenda: Unemployment Trust Fund Update
Legislative Auditor's Report: Workforce Programs

Thursday, February 18

8:30 AM
K-12 Education Policy and Oversight
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Carlos Mariani
Agenda: HF2703 (Greiling) Board of Teaching rulemaking authority clarified.
Board of Teaching rulemaking update.

10:30 AM
House in Session

1:00 PM
House Higher Education and Work Force Development Policy and Finance Division
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Tom Rukavina
Agenda: Fiscal condition of state financial aid programs
David Metzen, Director of the Office of Higher Education

2:45 PM
K-12 Education Finance Division
Room: 10 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Mindy Greiling
Agenda: Federal funding update

Friday, February 19

10 AM
Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement
Chair: Sen. Don Betzold/ Rep. Mary Murphy
Room 107 Capitol
Agenda: To be announced.

Thursday, February 25

12:30 PM
Senate Higher Education Budget and Policy Division
Room: 123 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Sandy Pappas
Agenda: OLA evaluation report, MnSCU System Office - Joel Alter

Friday, February 26

10 AM
Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement
Chair: Sen. Don Betzold/Rep. Mary Murphy
Room 107 Capitol
Agenda: To be announced.