Dear Lakeville Neighbors,
I hope you’re enjoying our March warmup, and maybe even getting outside with the family. The first signs of spring means things are moving quickly at the Capitol. We just finished our first full week of the legislative session, and I’m happy to see early progress this year. I try not to email you too much, so there are a few more items to start off the session with. I hope to keep you updated with highlights of Capitol work.
Legislative Budget and Forecast Surplus
On Monday, the governor signed a bill replacing funding which he had line-item vetoed last spring. It restored funding for the legislative branch, including staff and non-partisan employees that keep the Capitol running.
Also this week, we received the good news that our state doesn’t have a deficit, but instead is forecasted to have a $329 million surplus. This is over half a billion dollars of improvement from our last forecast in November. The November forecast was suspect and opponents took it as an opportunity to falsely claim the 2017 tax relief was irresponsible, when in fact the truth is the opposite. What’s the reason for the massive turnaround? We’re starting to feel the true impact of state tax relief combined with the recent passage of a federal tax relief bill. We’re seeing Minnesota families keep more of their paychecks, and our economy continues to grow. Common-sense tax policy combined with responsible budgeting has put our residents and our state in a good position going forward.
The forecast does present challenges, though. Governor Dayton already seems eager to continue spending. He’s unveiled a massive $1.5 billion bonding bill, even though we passed a large bonding bill last session. Too many see the capital investment bills as a barrel of pork that they need to run to and get their piece. We need to look at statewide responsibilities and protect from such irresponsible money grabs. Though we will likely see another capital investment bill brought forward this year, my hope is that it’s again focused on infrastructure and transportation needs around the state. We need to keep our state financially stable by limiting excess spending in the years to come.
School Safety
Following the recent, devastating tragedy in Florida, we’re again looking at ways to make our schools safer. Over the past two years, I’ve been working with colleagues and with education and security experts, and local educators and administrators to find ways to improve school safety. Heightened security at our schools with a focus on children’s mental health are paramount. I’ve actually been working behind the scenes on this with a local constituent since being first elected. These ideas are being shared with leadership and proposals will be rolled out in the coming weeks. Also, remember last session, we funded school safety improvements (Safe School Levy, and School Safety Center) and we expect this important topic will receive continued action this year.
Licensing Problems MNLARS
One of the most frustrating issues facing the state is the new licensing and registration system, MNLARS. Since July, MNLARS has been causing issues for Minnesotans, registrars, car dealers, and more. We’ve given those in charge of MNLARS 10 years and almost $100 million to get this right and it’s clear it’s still not even close to being ready for public use. More concerning, the state is coming to the legislature to ask for $43 million more to fix their issues.
It’s frustrating because even up until October 2017, we were assured the problems could be fixed within the current budget. Minnesota taxpayers should not be on the hook for even more tax dollars than have already been wasted; our residents deserve better. To me, this is an example of a government that has become too large, so large that the Dayton administration can’t manage updating software and completely lack oversight. In the legislature, we’re continuing to look for solutions and to hold MNLARS and MN Information Technology leadership accountable to hardworking Minnesotans.
Legislation Ideas
Recently, I introduced a bill to combat sex trafficking. My bipartisan legislation establishes a youth grant program to provide stable housing and support services for vulnerable youth as young as 13 years old. This tragic situation sometimes goes unseen, but is a very real issue that we have to address.
Working with the Metro Mobility Task Force recommendations (created from a bill I passed last session), we’ve started to look into a bill that hopes to utilize $6-$8 million per year of federal funds for current paratransit services, in addition to providing greater service in the Lakeville area. We will also be looking to have a pilot program that utilizes transportation networks or updated taxis to deliver paratransit services at a lower cost than current models. It’s exciting to see ideas come to light and provide better value to taxpayers.
Hockey
Lastly, congratulations to the Lakeville North boys hockey team for winning the 1AA section championship and advancing to the Tourney! It was a hard-fought section championship between our two teams. We’re so proud to have a Lakeville school represent us at the state tournament again.
Visiting St. Paul?
Now that we’re in St. Paul for much of the week, I hope you’ll schedule a time to come visit. I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas on any legislative issue and enjoyed the visits I’ve had so far.
Have a great weekend,
Jon Koznick
State Representative, Lakeville, 58A