Dear Neighbors,
I was heartbroken to hear the news of Sen. Jim Metzen’s passing. This is a tremendous loss for both our community and our state, with Jim’s public service to South St. Paul dating back to a stint on the city council starting in 1967, and election to the House in 1974, and finally to the Senate in 1987. I simply don’t have enough space in here to talk about everything he contributed, but his work for transportation (most significantly recently, the Wakota Bridge), and youth hockey (the “Mighty Ducks” program has been renamed the “James Metzen Mighty Ducks Ice Center Development Act”) come to the forefront.
His kindness, humor, and friendship were felt by anyone with whom he interacted, and he will be sorely missed. I know over the last few years Jim and his family have become close friends with my kids and me. We would go visit Jim and Sandie so the kids could play with their dog. Jim wasn't an expert with technology but last year he got rid of his old flip phone and traded for an iPhone. Imagine my shock the first day my caller ID read FaceTime call from Jim Metzen. If you knew Jim you can hear his voice saying these words, "Would you look at that, I can see you on my phone you handsome devil." Jim was one of the folks I would lean on when I wanted to get people to see each other’s side of an issue. He valued input from both sides and wouldn't tolerate the divisive rhetoric that has overtaken politics today. I'm going to miss my friend Jim who would call to see how the kids were doing.
Monday from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. there will be a visitation at South St. Paul High School, with funeral services Tuesday at10:00 a.m. at Church of the Assumption (51 West 7th St., Saint Paul).
Police Shooting
Our state has been gripped by grief over the officer involved shooting in Falcon Heights in the last week. Protests have broken out and have continued throughout the week. I can't offer any insight to the incident that happened as I was not there. I was not working and I am not part of the investigation. I can acknowledge we as a society need to start hearing each other more than we ever have. Communities are expressing concerns with the service they receive from their police departments and the policy state and local leaders have enacted which guides that service. I am hearing Republicans and Democrats express the desire for discussion. Some folks are trying to make this a divisive political issue. It isn't; it's a human issue.
During one of the protests around the country, five Dallas police officers were assassinated by a sniper. Those officers were protecting demonstrators who were asking Americans to hear their concerns about policing and the some of the laws we have guiding those officers at work. There were pictures of officers and demonstrators arm in arm showing respect for each other. They were happy and they were Americans showing support for the other.
I'm grateful to see the outpouring of support for those officers and our officers locally. When I showed up to work after the Dallas shooting our department was overwhelmed with cards and treats. I am committed to looking forward and continuing to ensure our government at all levels serves all of our people. I have seen ridiculous rhetoric on both sides of the discussion and I hope we don't start pushing each other further apart because of a few who would like to see our country torn apart.
Officers in our communities like me, work for you. Society continually asks for changes in law at the Legislature and we know that will continue to happen. It's going to be very important for everyone to be involved. If you have an idea to help build relationships between law enforcement and our communities I would like to hear it. If we don't hear from the majority we are only guessing what the best answer is.
For now I hope you'll keep the families of the Dallas Police Officers and the families of those killed during an encounter with police in your thoughts and prayers. The families of those individuals weren't involved and mourn their loved one like any one of us would.
I'll keep focusing on our communities and keeping them safe while I'm at the Capitol or patrolling the streets. And I'll need your help to do it.
Special Session Possible
As I write this, negotiations have renewed between Gov. Dayton and legislative leaders regarding a possible special session. It’s unfortunate we’re in this position, but as you know, the regular session adjourned in late May, but left a great deal of work unfinished for Minnesotans, including a tax bill – which included some really good provisions, such as a student loan tax credit, and increases to the working family and child and dependent care credits – a bonding bill, and a comprehensive transportation package. All parties involved – myself included – understand the urgency of wrapping up business like this, but a final conclusion is going to require give-and-take from all sides.
These opportunities are too big to miss out on again, so I’m hopeful political bargaining chips can be set aside so we can get this work done. The tax bill passed both bodies of the Legislature during session, but was vetoed due to a $100 million error. We should easily be able to reconsider this in a special session. The bonding bill may require some more work, but I think we should be able to get to an agreement there, too.
It appears any special session likely wouldn’t happen until mid-August, at the earliest. I’ll keep you updated, and hope you will continue to share with me your input. The most important part of any of this work is transparency for the public. That's something the Minnesota House has lacked over the last two years. Our area deserves better than that.
State Budget
Good news came earlier this week from Minnesota Management and Budget. Fiscal Year 2016 concluded on June 30, and revenues exceeded the amount from the February budget forecast by $230 million. While economic growth has slowed a bit, our economy is still in a solid position, and hopefully we will be entering the 2017 session with another sizable budget surplus.
This means that with economic uncertainty we need to fiscally judicious, but we should be using this situation as an opportunity to make key investments in the things that help out all Minnesotans, such as education, job creation, and transportation. I look forward to more discussions about this as we approach January.
Veterans Issues
While the TV news may not have put as much attention on it as the issues surrounding the adjournment of session, we were able to accomplish some good things for Minnesota’s military veterans this year. Included in the supplemental budget bill was a provision that makes veterans’ pensions exempt from state income tax. This should benefit approximately 18,000 Minnesota veterans.
I co-authored a bill to provide a grant for a great program called Veterans Voices, a radio series produced by the Association of Minnesota Public Educational Radio Stations (AMPERS) in partnership with Minnesota Humanities Center. This funding totaling $145,000 was also included in the supplemental budget bill. The show engages the community regarding veterans’ contributions, knowledge, skills, and experiences. You can check out past episodes of the program here.
Additionally, we made some investments in housing, health care, and mental health needs of veterans, and authorized a Medal of Honor memorial on the State Capitol grounds. To be certain, I’m committed to doing as much as we can to help honor these heroes and give them a hand up when necessary through assistance in finding a place to work, a place to live, and high quality health care.
I hope you are enjoying your summer. Please continue to keep in touch with any input or if I can ever be of assistance.
Sincerely,
Dan Schoen
State Representative