Trustee Frederick questioned by Senators; Race to Top grant reviewed

Yesterday at the Capitol

The Senate Higher Education Budget and Policy Division was scheduled to meet yesterday and take up the confirmation of Board of Trustee member Chris Frederick. Due to a long floor session, the committee did not officially meet, however, committee members had an opportunity to meet with Trustee Frederick and ask him questions about his appointment on the Board. His confirmation is expected to be forwarded to the full Senate.

Also yesterday was a press conference held by House and Senate leaders who said they hope to build consensus with the governor and teacher unions, whose support is critical on legislation that would help meet the federal Race to the Top grant application criteria. A joint meeting of the House and Senate education committees is planned for next week to discuss a package of education reforms that could serve as an outline for a round-two application for Race to the Top. Rep. Mindy Greiling, DFL-Roseville, said Minnesota would be eligible for between $60 million and $175 million in grant money for four years. Some of the key reforms that are part of the grant application criteria and that the governor, teacher unions and lawmakers have disagreed on, include alternative teacher licensure; how the Q Comp pay for performance plan could be expanded; and how much student test scores should count in teacher evaluation and tenure decisions.

Today at the Capitol

8:30 AM
House Finance
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Lyndon Carlson
Agenda:
HF3589 (Kath) Contracts for professional or technical services reporting threshold reduced.
HF3046 (Ruud) Birthing centers licensure established.
HF2753 (Morrow) Trunk highway bond appropriation amended.
HF2754 (Winkler) Secretary of state filings regulated.
HF3458 (Shimanski) Minnesota Department of Transportation consultation required on roundabout design.
HF2577 (Carlson) Legislators allowed to call a special session, and constitutional amendment proposed.
HF3739 (Carlson) Bond allocation limits modified, and transfer authorized.
HF3757 (Hilty) Security transaction security exemptions modified, and money appropriated for the state grant program.
HF3448 (Rukavina) Minnesota State Colleges and Universities; pilot project established for the local deposit of certain reserves.
HF3702 (Wagenius) Department of Natural Resources long-range land management budgeting required.

10:30 AM
Housing Finance and Policy and Public Health Finance Division
Room:500 S State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Karen Clark
Agenda: Discussion on nanotechnology
Informational hearing on HFXXXX (Clark) relating to higher education and public health; requiring a report on nanotechnology from the university of Minnesota and the Minnesota state colleges and universities

11:00 AM
House Ways and Means
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Loren Solberg
Bill(s) Added
Agenda: HF677 (Bunn) Body art procedures and establishments regulated.
HF1005 (Reinert) Enhanced driver's license and enhanced identification card created, application, issuance, and appearance of card provided, and Homeland Security secretary approval sought.
HF2678 (Juhnke) Agriculture and veteran affairs provisions and programs changed, development and use of industrialized hemp authorized and regulated, terms and procedures clarified, record keeping provisions changed, planning for additional veteran cemeteries required, and money appropriated.
HF2781 (Obermueller) Grant and loan programs modified, duties modified, technical changes made, terms defined, Minnesota Science and Technology Authority created, licensing provisions modified, fees imposed and modified, construction codes modified, study requested, reports required, and money appropriated.
HF2801 (Obermueller) Complete street program established and reports required.
SF2844 (Juhnke) Elevator provisions modified.
HF3106 (Bigham) First-degree driving while impaired crime amended to include prior felony convictions from other states, and implied consent, driving while impaired, and ignition interlock provisions modified.
HF2037 (Solberg) General fund dedicated revenue appropriations transferred to other funds.

3:00 PM
Senate Economic Development and Housing Budget Division
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. David J. Tomassoni
Agenda: S.F. 2874-Pogemiller: State government streamlining; employment and economic development (DEED) and labor and industry departments abolishment; task force and employee participation committee establishment; Taxpayers Accountability Act.

Looking Ahead

Thursday, April 15

8:30 AM
Senate E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division
Room: 112 Capitol
Chair: Sen. LeRoy A. Stumpf
Agenda: S.F. 2716-Saltzman: Charter school provisions modifications; charter schools facilities authority establishment; credit enhancement account creation; purchasing and borrowing authority authorization; building lease transition aid eligibility authorization.

8:30 AM
Senate Taxes
Room: 15 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Thomas M. Bakk Agenda:
Agenda:
S.F. 3336 (Langseth) Detroit Lakes sales and use taxes imposition authority.
S.F. 3343 (Fischbach) Job opportunity building zones (JOBZ) agreements amendment authorization.
S.F. 3338 (Tomassoni) Biwabik Giants Ridge recreation area sales and use taxes imposition authority.
S.F. 3337 (Jungbauer) Ramsey tax increment financing (TIF) district establishment.
S.F. 3347 (Lynch) Rochester lodging, food and beverage taxes modification.
S.F. 3339 (Erickson Ropes) Class 4c property classification requirements modifications.
S.F. 3117 (Erickson Ropes) Property tax homestead market value exemption program benefits for disabled veterans surviving spouses extension.
S.F. 3348 (Dibble) Manufactured home park cooperatives homestead treatment modification.
S.F. 3340 (Bakk) Homestead resort property classification application extension.
S.F. 3055 (Dibble) Tobacco Modernization and Compliance Act of 2010.
S.F. 3349 (Parry) Owatonna sales and excise tax use expansion and bond issuance authority.
S.F. 3352 (Bakk) Sales and use tax treatment of drugs and medical devices modifications.
S.F. 2919 (Dibble) Transit improvement tax increment financing (TIF) districts authorization.

11:00 AM
Senate in Session

12:30 PM
House in Session

Friday, April 16

8:30 AM
Senate Finance
Room: 123 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Richard J. Cohen
Agenda:
S.F. 2682-Erickson Ropes: Fillmore county veterans cemetery funding.
S.F. 3079-Sheran: Postsecondary enrollment options program modifications.
S.F. 560-Latz: Criminal records expungement law provisions expansion and modifications.
S.F. 2493-Moua: Crime of identity theft expansion to include scanning and reencoder use to acquire information from payment cards.
S.F. 2725-Moua: Gang and drug oversight council name change to violent crime oversight council; multijurisdictional gang and drug task forces certification process; criminal gang investigative data systems; intrastate data classification; cell phone tracking devices.
S.F. 2620-Bonoff: Service innovation commission establishment.
S.F. 214-Betzold: Notaries public regulations and fees modifications.
S.F. 2364-Pappas: Higher education facilities authority revenue bond limit increase.
S.F. 2940-Fischbach: Zero-based budgeting requirement for state government.