Governor proposes bonding for system; schedules posted

Yesterday at the Capitol

Gov. Mark Dayton released his capital budget proposal yesterday and said he purposefully left open half of the bill for legislators to include their own projects and urged lawmakers to act swiftly to pass a bonding bill. The proposal includes $531 million in general obligation bonds. Dayton said criteria for including a project in his recommendation included asset preservation and shovel ready projects.

For the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, Dayton included HEAPR and individual projects totaling $127.6 million. $30 million is for repair and replacement, and the remaining $97.6 million is for eight projects. The breakdown is $95.1 million in general obligation bonds and $32.5 million in user funding.

The eight projects on Gov. Dayton's list are as follows (* indicates a project that was vetoed last session):

- Alexandria Technical and Community College, $4.2 million for main
building renovation and addition;
- Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Coon Rapids campus, $5.4 million for Fine Arts building renovation*;
- Hennepin Technical College, $10.6 million for Learning Resource and Student Services renovation*;
- Minneapolis Community and Technical College, $13.0 million for
workforce program renovation*;
- Ridgewater Community and Technical College, Willmar campus, $14.3 million for technical instruction renovation*;
- South Central College, Faribault campus, $13.4 million for classroom
renovation and addition*;
- Minnesota State University Moorhead, $14.9 million for Livingston Lord Library and information technology renovation*; and
- Normandale Community College, $22.0 million for Academic Partnership Center and student services.

House Majority Leader Matt Dean, R-Dellwood, said lawmakers are not ruling out a bonding bill this year, but says their focus will be on rerouting unspent money from past projects that never got off the ground. House Capital Investment Chair, Larry Howes, R-Walker, said, "We are saying 'no' to a bonding bill unless it is an emergency."

Today at the Capitol

Bemidji Day at the Capitol

8:15 AM
House Education Reform
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Sondra Erickson
Agenda: Minnesota Department of Education Data Systems
Aimee Rogstad Guidera, Executive Director, Data Quality Campaign

8:30 AM
Senate Finance
Room: 123 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Claire A. Robling
Agenda:
S.F. 56-Thompson: School district and charter school salary freeze imposition; safe schools levy set aside requirement removal; staff development reserved revenue and school district contract deadline and penalty repeal.
S.F. 40-Olson, G.: Teacher licensure provisions modifications; alternative teacher preparation program and limited-term teacher license establishment.
S.F. 69-Olson, G.: Home schools mandates and reporting requirements reduction.

12:30 PM
House Higher Education Policy and Finance
Room: Basement Hearing Room, State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Bud Nornes
Agenda: Getting Prepared: A 2010 Report on Recent High School Graduates Who Took Developmental/Remedial Courses

12:30 PM
House Education Finance
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep.Pat Garofalo,
Agenda: HF88(Doepke) Student health personnel set-aside removed.
Schools for Equity in Education: Brad Lundell, Executive Director

3:00 PM
Senate Education
Room: 15 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Gen Olson
Agenda: Minnesota Dept. of Education Data Systems
Aimee Rogstad Guidera, Executive Director, Data Quality Campaign

4:30 PM
House Ways and Means
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Mary Liz Holberg
Agenda: HF55 (Hackbarth) Stream easement acquisition provisions
modified; state park, state forest, and land exchange provisions
modified; state parks and state forests added to and deleted from; and public and private sales, conveyances, and exchanges of state land authorized.
HF1 (Fabian) Environmental permitting efficiency provided, and
environmental review requirements modified.
HF79 (Davids) Dependent health care coverage to adult children through age 26 for tax year 2010 federal extension conformed.

Looking Ahead

Wednesday, February 2

Rochester Day at the Capitol
The Rochester Community and Technical College band will be playing in the Capitol Rotunda at 1:45 p.m.

10:15 AM
House Government Operations and Elections
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Joyce Peppin
Agenda: HF212 (Beard) Public employee definition modified.
HF62 (Ward) Workers Memorial Garden on the State Capitol grounds updated to include a reference to the Milford Mine Disaster in Crosby that occurred on February 5, 1924.
Overview presentation by the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission

10:30 AM
Senate Jobs and Economic Growth
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Geoff Michel
Agenda: Economic overview from Tom Gillaspy, State Demographer

12:00 PM
Senate in Session

3:00 PM
Senate Higher Education
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Michelle L. Fischbach
Agenda: Higher Education budget and funding overview. Presented by Maja Weidmann Senate Fiscal Analyst

Thursday, February 3

8:15 AM
House State Government Finance
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Morrie Lanning
Agenda: HF110 (Kahn) Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement membership increased.
Finish up Public Pension fund overview from January 18th:
Mary Vanek, Executive Director of Public Employees Retirement
Association (PERA); Laurie Hacking, Executive Director of Teachers Retirement Association (TRA); and Dave Bergstrom, Executive Director, or another representative of Minnesota State Retirement System (MSRS)
Additional bills may be added.

8:15 AM
House Education Reform
Room: Basement State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Sondra Erickson
Agenda: Agency update and priorities from the Minnesota Department of Education - Commissioner Brenda Cassellius

8:30 AM
Joint Meeting: Senate Finance and Taxes
Room: 15 Capitol
Chairs: Sen. Claire Robling and Sen. Julianne
Agenda: State Budget Trends Study Commission Report presentation - Kevin Goodno, Co-Chair
State Rankings presentation - Mark Haveman, Executive Director Minnesota Taxpayer Association

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.

11:00 AM
Senate in Session

*No meeting
12:30 PM
House Higher Education Policy and Finance
Room: Basement Hearing Room, State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Bud Nornes
Agenda: Will not be meeting

12:30 PM
House Education Finance
Room: 5 State Office Building
Chair: Rep.Pat Garofalo,
Agenda: Agency update and priorities
Minnesota Department of Education
Brenda Cassellius, Commissioner

4:00 PM (Note: Chair will announce start time on the House floor)
House Ways and Means
Room: 200 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Mary Liz Holberg
Agenda: HF63 (Garofalo) Teacher licensure provisions amended, alternative teacher preparation program and limited-term teacher license established, and report required.
Meeting Documents: HF 63 A5 Amendment