Budget reduction bill advances; Committees to meet

Yesterday at the Capitol
Conferees for the phase one budget reduction bill reached an agreement in conference committee last night. Conferees reduced the fiscal year 2011 cuts from the House's $200 million and the Senate's $125 million to $100 million, a concession granted after many questioned how much unencumbered funds could be found from state agencies yet this year. The bill specifies that short-term cuts to specific programs, including the state grant program, would not apply. Also, conferees did not accept the House's language on freezing state employee wages. The bill reduces higher education $185 million, which was in both the Senate and House version. The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities base is reduced to $582 million from $605 million. The report will now go to the House and Senate floors for a final vote prior to sending it to the governor.

Today at the Capitol
8:15 AM
House Education Reform
Room: Basement Hearing Room - State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Sondra Erickson
Agenda:
HF206 (Dittrich) Permanent School Fund Advisory Committee membership modified.
Overview of Permanent School Fund Advisory Committee
Overview of school assessment statutes
Overview of PER (Planning, Evaluation and Reporting to Public) law

8:15 AM
House State Government Finance
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Morrie Lanning
Agenda: HF173 (Peppin) Sunset Commission created, sunset and review of state agencies provided, and money appropriated.
HF2 (Banaian) Zero-based budgeting required, and sunset advisory commission and sunset process established for state agencies.

10:15 AM
House Government Operations and Elections
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Joyce Peppin
Agenda:
HF89 (Benson) Voter picture identification required before receiving a ballot, voter identification card provided at no charge, and provisional balloting procedure established.
HF210 (Kiffmeyer) Voter picture identification required before receiving a ballot, identification cards provided at no charge, provisional ballot procedures established, election administration procedures specified, electronic polling place required, recount procedures enacted, and money appropriated.

10:30 AM
Senate Jobs and Economic Growth
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Geoff Michel
Agenda:
DEED Overview/Commissioner Mark Phillips
DEED Overview of Unemployment Insurance
S.F. 114-Pederson: Unemployment insurance eligibility modification for children of business owners and extended unemployment compensation federal state conformance.

12:30 PM
House Higher Education Policy and Finance
Room: Basement Hearing Room, State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Bud Nornes
Agenda: Increasing Educational Achievement:
Susan Heegaard, Bush Foundation - Vice President, Educational Achievement
Peter Hutchinson, Bush Foundation - President

12:30 PM
House Jobs and Economic Development Finance
Room: 10 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Bob Gunther
Agenda: Agency overview from Mark Phillips - Commissioner of the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)
Overview of Enterprise Minnesota from Robert Kill

12:30 PM
House Education Finance
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Pat Garofalo
Agenda: Presentation by the Minnesota Principal’s Academy, Ken Pekel

3:00 PM
Senate Education
Room: 15 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Gen Olson
Agenda: S.F. 170-Daley: Teacher candidates basic skills exam pass requirement.
Cecilia Retelle, MN Chamber of Commerce
Representative Andrea Kieffer
Vallay Varro, Executive Director of MinnCAN

Looking Ahead
When Gov. Mark Dayton delivers his State of the State address Wednesday at noon, Andrea Mokros, Dayton's deputy chief of staff, said the governor will talk of the need for "shared sacrifice," the need for transparency and accountability in government, and his plans for "getting Minnesota working again."

Wednesday, February 9
8:15 AM
House State Government Finance
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Morrie Lanning
Agenda: Minnesota State Arts Board Overview: Sue Gens, Executive Director of the Minnesota State Arts Board
Minnesota Historical Society Overview: Michael Fox, Director of the Minnesota Historical Society
Minnesota Management and Budget presentation on recently released 2010 State Workforce Report: Judy Plante, Assistant Commissioner for State Human Resources

10:30 AM *Note committee will end at 11:15
Senate Jobs and Economic Growth
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Geoff Michel
Agenda: Economic overview from Steve Hine, DEED

11:30 AM
Senate in Session

11:45 AM
House in Session

12:00 PM
Governor’s State of the State Address
House Chamber

3:00 PM
Senate Education
Room: 15 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Gen Olson
Agenda: TBA

Thursday, February 10
8:15 AM
House State Government Finance
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Morrie Lanning
Agenda: HF4 (Downey) State workforce reduction required, and early retirement program created.

8:15 AM
House Education Reform
Room: Basement - State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Sondra Erickson
Agenda:
HF133 (Fritz) Trial placements for eligible children allowed at the Minnesota State Academies.
HF183 (Kieffer) Teacher candidates required to pass basic skills exam.
HF300 (Erickson) Comprehensive eye exams recommended for early childhood development screening.

10:15 AM
House Government Operations and Elections
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Joyce Peppin
Agenda:
HF192 (Downey) Reinventing Government Employment Act proposed, public employee compensation freeze provided and future compensation method determined, state workforce reduction required, state employee gain sharing system established, state contract restrictions removed, and right to work constitutional amendment proposed.
HF102 (Mahoney) Minnesota science and technology program established.

11:00 AM
Senate in Session

12:30 PM
House Higher Education Policy and Finance
Room: Basement Hearing Room, State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Bud Nornes
Agenda: Student and faculty testimony

Wednesday, February 16
5:30 PM
Joint House and Senate Committee on Higher Education
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chairs: Rep. Bud Nornes, Sen. Michelle Fischbach
Agenda: University of Minnesota Board of Regents candidate interviews
Election of nominees to forward to Joint Convention