Dear neighbors,
Now that the 2019 legislative session has ended, I wanted to share some details about what we got done. In one of the only divided legislatures in the country, my colleagues and I were able to work together and pass a budget that reflects the values we share as Minnesotans.
The new two-year state budget makes strong investments in students of all ages, protects health care access for more than a million Minnesotans, delivers targeted tax cuts, and improves economic opportunity across the state. Here are some of the budget items that will impact our part of Northern Minnesota:
E-12 Education
I’m particularly proud of the E-12 education section of the budget. We successfully fought for strong investments in Minnesota students that will help prevent teacher and staff layoffs, larger class sizes, and higher property taxes. All public schools will receive an annual two percent increase in general funding.
We froze the special education cross subsidy, the gap between the state and federal funding that schools receive for special education services and the cost of providing them. Funding for special education hasn’t kept up with rising costs, forcing schools to use funding intended for other purposes to make up the difference. This issue has impacted many schools, but small rural districts have seen the greatest increases over time. Northland Community Schools, for example, had the fifth highest per-student cross subsidy in 2017. While we weren’t able to provide everything schools need in this regard, this funding keeps the situation from getting any worse and will help schools meet the needs of all their students.
Health and Human Services
We worked hard to protect health care access for 1.2 million Minnesotans. Securing ongoing funding for the Health Care Access Fund, which helps hundreds of thousands of people get the care they need, was a top priority for my House colleagues and me.
Two of my bills passed as part of the health and human services budget and have since been signed into law. My legislation provides child welfare grants to the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and the White Earth Nation. These Tribal governments have established innovative, highly successful programs to prevent out-of-home placements with voluntary, culturally specific services for families. The grants will help Leech Lake and White Earth keep kids safe and in their homes.
The budget also transfers responsibilities from Beltrami County to Red Lake Nation. Currently, the county is financially responsible for child welfare services that are administered by Red Lake. This change is part of a larger statewide process. The Bemidji Pioneer published an article about out-of-home placements that has more details on this initiative. It’s available here.
Taxes
We passed a bipartisan tax plan that delivers targeted tax cuts to families, seniors, small businesses, and farmers. It cuts the income tax rate for the first time in almost two decades and doubles the standard deduction. These changes will make the filing process easier and put more money in the pockets of Minnesotans. We also cut taxes on Social Security benefits and expanded tax credits for working families.
The tax plan will benefit our area in several ways. It provides more aid to Beltrami, Cass, Hubbard, and Itasca Counties and local governments so they can provide important community services while holding down property taxes. It also reduces property taxes for natural gas pipeline construction, making it more likely that one will be built in Walker, and delivers funding to Beltrami County for child welfare services.
Jobs and Economic Development
As a member of the Greater Minnesota Jobs and Economic Development Finance Committee, I helped pass a budget that invests in communities like ours. Expanding broadband access will bring reliable, high-speed internet to more schools, businesses, and homes in Northern Minnesota and will create jobs in rural areas.
We put Minnesota workers and their families first and delivered positive results. We ensured that Minnesotans receive an hour’s pay for an hour’s work by enacting the strongest wage theft prevention and enforcement law in the United States. We invested in training programs that help workers develop their skills or start their own business. And we took action to address our state’s child care shortage.
Stay in Touch
I’m proud of these accomplishments, but there’s more work to be done. I look forward to talking with you in the coming months about how we can keep Minnesota moving forward together. Please feel free to call or email me anytime.
Sincerely,
John Persell
State Representative