Second Deadline Week, Failed Bonding Bill
The legislature is now facing its second deadline week. Bill introductions have slowed down, but the committee agendas continue to grow as legislators make a push to get individual proposals teed up for inclusion in one of the major budget or policy omnibus bills. The end of last week saw a failed bonding bill vote on the Senate floor, with the Senate Republicans making good on their promise to withhold support until a tax relief bill is acted upon, specifically a repeal of state income taxes on social security income.
Dubbed as “last session’s bonding bill,” it has major bi-partisan support and rural-metro balance, but denying a supermajority vote for this bill is the only power the GOP minorities have at this point. The trouble is, a tax relief bill won’t emerge until later in April, with final passage slated for the end of May. That means loading up a new capital projects bill is now in a more precarious situation.
Later this week, the majority caucuses will hash out budget targets behind the scenes. We don’t expect the budget committee chairs to get their targets until late in the week and even then, they might not be public until a week from today.
A week from today we’ll likely see the omnibus Education budget bills roll out.
This week in Education Committees
Senate Education Finance
No committee hearings are currently scheduled for Senate Education Finance.
Senate Education Policy
No committee hearings are currently scheduled for Senate Education Policy.
House Education Policy
House Education Policy will discuss the following bill:
- HF2037 (Berg) – school health services provided
House Education Finance
House Education Finance will discuss the following bills:
- HF629 (Edelson) – Read Act; required literacy curriculum and literacy specialists
- HF1269 (Pryor) – preK-12 gen ed accountability and transparency provisions
- HF2042 (Pursell) – CTE consortium grant funding
- HF2696 (Greenman) – civic education grant funding
- HF2068 (Clardy) – Sanneh Foundation funding
- HF2214 (Frazier) – Black Men Teach Twin Cities program
- HF2131 (Hicks) – Alliance of Chicanos, Hispanics, and Latin Americans funding
- HF2398 (Acomb) – schools required to maintain supply of opiate antagonists
- HF1502 (Sencer-Mura) – ethnic studies requirement
- HF651 (Hassan) – personal finance class requirement
- HF759 (Lee, K.) – computer science education advancement provided
- HF2968 (Hornstein) – Holocuast and genocide education required in social studies
- HF1628 (Jordan) – pupil transportation services for homeless students
- HF2696 (Richardson) – prohibition on dismissal of K-3 students
- HF2068 (Kozlowski) – gender-neutral, single-user restroom and locker room facilities
- HF2214 (Norris) – economic development and housing challenge program, schools added as eligible recipients
- HF2131 (Frederick) – Project Success grants authorized
- HF2398 (Youakim) – medical assistance coverage for SPED school social work services
- HF1502 (Youakim) – education finance; forecast adjustments
- HF651 (Hill) – Playworks grant funding for social-emotional programming
- HF759 (Sencer-Mura) – grant funding to improve students’ writing skills
- HF2968 (Pérez-Vega) – MN Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs grant funding
- HF1628 (Pérez-Vega) – music education grant programs
Resources
- Bill Search, Status, and MyBills – Minnesota State Legislature (mn.gov)
- MREA members are encouraged to join Advocacy Briefings to hear directly from our Advocacy team, who is at the Capitol every day advocating for Greater Minnesota education. Check your Insider Brief for the invite.
