State of the state delivered

Yesterday at the Capitol

Gov. Tim Pawlenty delivered his final State of the State address yesterday, where he offered advice to the legislators running for governor, including, “Don’t kiss an eelpout on the lips, even if the locals say it’s for good luck.”

Pawlenty's address centered around the theme of taxes and jobs, and he urged the Legislature to pass his Jobs Creation Bill that has six parts; a 20 percent reduction in the corporate tax rate; a 20 percent exclusion from taxation for small businesses; an angel investment tax credit; a supercharged research and development tax credit; a capital gains exclusion for qualified investments; and incentives for companies to invest in Minnesota small businesses. Pawlenty also proposed a constitutional amendment that would require future spending to not exceed current revenues.

Related to education, he said that the most important school-related factor in determining how a student will perform is the quality and preparedness of their teachers. He asked teacher unions to support the “Teaching Transformation Act,” that he said will dramatically improve teacher quality, training and accountability for results.

The governor also said that he will release his budget recommendations Monday to resolve the $1.2 billion budget deficit for the current biennium. He said it will include painful spending reductions; however, he said he will protect programs for the military, veterans, core public safety functions and K-12 classrooms. The House Ways and Means and Finance committees are scheduled to hear the governor’s supplemental budget Monday morning.

Following the governor's address, the House Ways and Means committee took up the bonding bill and passed it to the floor where it is scheduled for debate Monday at 1 p.m.

The committee did amend the bill to require Minnesota Management and Budget to notify the Legislature "on the amount and percentage of each agency's capital appropriation that is used to pay for the capital costs of staff directly attributable to the capital project or projects funded with state general obligation bond proceeds."

Today at the Capitol

11:00 AM
Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement
Room 107 Capitol
Chair: Senator Don Betzold
Agenda:
1. Approval of prior Commission meeting minutes.
2. LCPR10-005: MSRS; Retirement-related administrative provisions.
3. S.F. 2474 (Betzold); H.F. 2739 (Murphy, M.): PERA; Service credit purchase procedures.
4. S.F. 1407 (Tomassoni); H.F. 1358 (Mahoney): MSRS-Unclassified; Transfer option to MSRS-General.
5. Other items as designated by the Commission chair.

10:30 AM (televised live)
House in Session

Looking Ahead

Monday, February 15

10:30 AM
House Ways & Means and Finance
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Loren Solberg and Rep Lyndon Carlson
Agenda: Governor’s supplemental budget

11:00 AM
Senate in Session

1:00 PM
House in Session
Bonding bill

Tuesday, February 16

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

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:
SF1374/HF1569 - PERA-P&F; Joint and survivor annuity for the divorced spouse of a deceased retiree who elected a single life annuity.
SFXX/HF2550 - 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.
SFXX/HFXX - PERA; Authorizing a late disability benefit application in certain cases.
SFXX/HFXX - SPTRFA; Service credit purchase for uncredited prior teaching service
SFXX/HFXX - PERA-P&F; Revise Social Security leveling option to single-life annuity.
SFXX/HFXX - PERA; Purchase of prior service credit for a period of omitted member deductions for certain Inver Grove Heights public school employees.
SFXX/HFXX - TRA; Alternative retirement annuity computation for former Red Lake Senior High School principal.

Wednesday, February 17

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

10:30 AM
House in Session

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

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