Legislative Update - The House’s Budget

Dear Neighbors,

It’s a busy time at the Minnesota Legislature, with both the House and Senate passing their respective budget bills - the culmination of our work in committees this year.

Because of our tied House, the budget bills we’re voting on aren’t what I would consider perfect, I don’t think either side of the aisle would claim that, but each one is a bipartisan compromise that at the very least ensures our state government can continue to operate.

We’ve passed most of the House’s budget proposals already. You can read nonpartisan summaries of the budgets we’ve voted on here: 

• Higher Education
• Housing
• Transportation
• Commerce
• Veterans
• Public Safety & Judiciary - Which I helped craft as a member of the Public Safety Committee
• Agriculture
• Legacy - Including $500,000 for the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth!
• State Government & Elections
• Human Services
• Environment and Natural Resources
• Energy
• Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development - Another budget I helped write

With more to come, including our Health, K-12 Education, and Tax bills. Once the House and Senate have passed their budget bills, conference committees made up of House and Senate members meet to reconcile the differences between each chamber’s proposals. Once that’s done, we vote on the bills a final time before sending them to Governor Walz.   

This process could be moving faster, but we’ve run into a couple sticking points, namely House Republicans demanding that we strip Unemployment Insurance benefits away from our schools’ hourly employees. I serve on the House's Education Finance Committee, where we cover this issue, and I spoke to how important it is to protect these benefits for our workers, which you can watch here.

We shouldn't treat our workers as disposable. It doesn't matter where they work - a construction site, a mine, or our schools - all of Minnesota's workers should be valued. I’ll be fighting to protect these benefits in our Education Budget.  

Building a Better Minnesota 

Our schools’ hourly employees aren’t the only workers I’m fighting for. While not part of our constitutionally required budget, it’s equally important that we pass a robust Capital Investment Bill (otherwise known as a bonding bill) this year. This is a bill that funds infrastructure projects and jobs throughout the state, and I stood with my brothers and sisters in labor to demand a strong investment in building a better Minnesota.  

From roads and bridges to water infrastructure, these workers build and maintain the systems we all depend on. They are the driving force of our economy and the backbone of Minnesota’s middle class. It’s time to pass a bill that invests in them and our state. 

Teacher Appreciation Week 

It’s Teacher Appreciation Week, and I’ve been spending it fighting for the best education budget possible for Minnesota’s students, schools, and teachers.   

Thank you to the numerous local educators that have made the trip down to the State Capitol - the Duluth Teachers Federation, Education Minnesota-Proctor (and my wife Dehlia) - to make sure we’re doing all we can for Minnesota’s students this year. This week, and every week, thank a teacher! 

It’s also a good time to reflect on how far our schools have come. Minnesota’s schools are seeing historically high graduation rates, and that’s thanks in large part to the efforts of our teachers, as well as the transformational policies and investments the DFL fought for last session - the ones we’re fighting to protect this year.  

You can read more about Minnesota’s highest ever recorded graduation rate here. 

Stay Connected 

It’s a “hurry up and wait” situation at the State Capitol right now, especially as we wait for legislative leaders to strike a deal that’ll ensure the passage of our state budget. Now is a fantastic time to reach out with any questions or comments you have on the bills we’ve passed so far, and the work that remains.   

You can reach me at rep.pete.johnson@house.mn.gov or (651) 296-4246. You’ll either hear back from me, or our Legislative Assistant, Faith Privett. You can also follow along on my Legislative Facebook page. 

I look forward to hearing from you! 

Sincerely,     

Pete Johnson 

State Representative