Andrew Falk May 5, Newsletter

May 5, 2009

Dear Neighbors,

I was appointed as an ex-officio (non-voting but still able to offer input and comments) member of the Environment and Energy Finance Conference Committee. Given that our state is facing a historic budget deficit, those conference committee negotiations were particularly important to ensure that all of our dollars are spent wisely. One area of interest to me was the Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR). The actual cut to the BWSR budget amounted to about 11%; a substantial amount to be certain. My priority and the House’s priority were to preserve the funding being sent outstate while surgically cutting administration and out-dated programs.

I worked to protect the General Services grants, a key component of the base funding for our Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs). These base grants are often used to leverage significant dollars of additional funding. Each of our state’s ninety-one SWCDs receives between $22,000 and $25,000 in base grants. The House bill was the strongest going into Conference Committee and I’m pleased that the House provisions were accepted. This is a significant achievement, especially in light of the historic deficient and the originally proposed cuts. Our SWCDs will continue to receive the resources they need to protect and conserve our valuable natural resources.

Over the past two weeks, the Minnesota House has debated and passed most of the major budget bills that will help close our record budget shortfall and position Minnesota for short and long term economic recovery.

Altogether, our budget framework cuts spending by $1.6 billion in order to close our record $6.4 billion deficit, more than $100 million more in cuts than the Governor’s has proposed. However, the cuts in the House plan are more balanced to preserve jobs, health care, and education.

I’ve included here a brief description of the bills we recently passed. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Please continue to contact me with your comments and ideas. I can be reached at 651-296-4228 or by email at rep.andrew.falk@house.mn.

House Passes Major Budget Bills

Capital Investment/Bonding

A basic bread and butter jobs bills that focuses on paintbrush ready projects around the state.

Agriculture and Veterans Finance

Increases Veterans’ Affairs and Veterans’ Homes. Makes strategic cuts to agriculture that saves jobs, preserves critical programs and invests in biofuels and green jobs.

Higher Education Finance

Caps tuition increases, targets scholarships for middle-class students and provides child-care grants to help parents attend college.

Environment and Energy Finance

Funding for outdoors and environmental priorities. Retains jobs, improves accountability at agencies like the DNR and PCA and takes steps to keep toxic chemicals out of children’s products.



Early Childhood Finance

Makes critical investments in Minnesota’s future workforce by closing the achievement gap, increasing child-care quality and ensuring all children are ready for kindergarten.



K-12 Education Finance

Provides steady funding for our schools, reduces mandates to help districts save money and paves the way for significant funding reform with the New Minnesota Miracle.



State Government Finance

Provides adequate funding to avoid damaging layoffs in a difficult economy.



Economic Development Finance

This is a jobs bill that also assists the unemployed and retrains workers for skills that are in demand and provides critical funding for affordable housing.



Public Safety Finance

The House does the best job of funding Minnesota’s courts and preserving public safety. It prevents cuts to correctional officers that could jeopardize safety.



Transportation Finance

Maintains local road and bridge funding. Fully funds Greater Minnesota and metro transit at a time when ridership levels are at record levels.



Taxes

Most significant reform in 20 years. Increases fairness by replacing subsidies that benefit the wealthy and creates new 4th tier. Gives businesses competitive advantages, including R&D credit and tax cuts for small businesses and farmers.

Health Care

Targeted spending cuts to help close the budget shortfall while preserving adequate funding for rural hospitals, nursing homes and health care for middle class Minnesotans. Continues down path of long term health care reform to bring down cost of health care for Minnesota families.