Session filled with both successes and failures

Published 9:42 am Tuesday, June 16, 2015

My Point of View by Brian Hensley

The 2015 legislative session is over. Finally. Even after a special session called by the governor, many issues remain unsolved. There were successes and failures for both parties but also a lack of movement on key issues. Sometimes no action can be a victory.

Education funding has seen a significant boost. In Freeborn County, per student funding will increase anywhere from $300 to $500 per student. In addition to this boost, early learning programs picked up another $525 million. Some in education feel that all learning gaps and problems in our school systems can be solved with extra money.

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This ought to give those administrators, teachers and unions a chance to prove money solves the evils.  A word of caution to those administrators and unions: Voters are realizing that “under-spending on our children” is a myth. Secondly, voters understand that there are systematic problems in the way we are attempting to educate our children. Building a bigger union doesn’t educate our children. Please put the money toward the classroom. Please reimburse teachers for the money they spend out of their own pocket for supplies. Put more aides in the classrooms. Reach out to businesses in the community to learn what industry needs taught to those who aren’t bound for college. Let’s make sure when seniors graduate they have an ability to learn a skill needed if they aren’t continuing to pursue a four-year degree.

On the agriculture front, success this year meant keeping the DFL governor’s seat-of-the-pants policies from occurring immediately. Earlier in the year, at a Pheasants Forever event, Gov. Dayton apparently decided on his own, without his political advisors, DNR or agriculture advisers that a 50-foot buffer strip along all waterways was a great idea. In Freeborn County farmers utilize a 16-foot strip along protected waterways, and the results are really showing up in our cleaner waters. Ultimately the 50-foot buffer along lakes, rivers and streams did pass, along with funding for soil and water conservation districts to help landowners pay for buffers and other conservation matters. The requirements won’t take effect till 2017, so we will hear more about this. (Elections in 2016 will have consequences.)

Prior to the session’s start, many cities and counties currently are allowed to compare costs from a private CPA audit firm with the costs charged by the state. The governor signed a bill allowing this process for all. Several days later, he changed his mind. Ultimately the law stayed, which will allow a competitive bid process potentially saving many municipalities and counties money. The key to this issue is whether the state auditor can compete with private firms. Typically government agencies don’t fare well when comparing service levels and costs with private industry. There are starting to be rumblings across the state that the role of the state auditor has become unnecessary or needs to be minimized and that private firms can complete the audits faster and less expensively.

Probably the biggest failures of the session come in two areas. Tax relief and transportation. Both issues can be understood fairly simply. The House Republicans attempted to find ways to send the surplus back to where it came from. The DFL Senate (which includes our local Sen. Sparks) and DFL governor proposed many different ways to spend the excess. In the end, no tax relief passed both despite collecting $2 billion more than had been anticipated.

Stop for a moment and think about that. The state of Minnesota collected $2 billion more than they expected, and yet could find no way to return it to the citizens who paid it. Actually it’s worse than that.  DFL Gov. Dayton proposed and fought for a 16-cent increase in the state gas tax. The DFL Party wanted to collect an extra $3.20 every time you filled up your 20-gallon tank, after they collected $2 billon more than expected. If you fill your gas tank once a week, that’s an extra $150 on everyone in the state. If the Democrats can’t find a tax cut they like with extra money on the table, hold on to your wallet in 2016 and beyond.

A large transportation bill did not get the governor’s signature this year either. Many will call this a failure, and others will deem it a success. Spending for public trains in the metro was slowed, while other large scale projects will be on hold. Much of the debate focused on how to pay for these programs, and some simple ideas failed. Ideas that failed including a Republican proposal that money collected from automotive-related taxes and fees that currently go in the general fund be used exclusively for transportation spending. This will be the 2016 issue.

When you have a divided government like we had in Minnesota this year things happen slowly and often involve compromise. The DFL governor and DFL Senate felt many frustrations as they couldn’t pass bills exactly how they wanted them. Many issues were simply set aside because compromise is hard. At least compromise was required this year, and a more rural, and a more conservative voice was involved in the discussions.

 

Brian Hensley is chairman of the Freeborn County Republican Party.