Volume 2, Number 9 May 9, 2014

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Week in Review

Photo of the Week

Senator Franzen and Representative Erhardt meet with Edina Family Center Parents and Children on

Monday

Greetings,

With less than two weeks to go in the 2014 Legisla-tive Session, we continue our work this week to shape the remaining pieces of Minnesota’s projected $1.2 billion surplus and reach an agreement on this year’s bonding bill.

The target figures for the remaining budget surplus

include $293 million for a supplemental budget bill,

$103 million for a second tax cut bill (on top of the

$447 million in tax relief already signed into law), and

$200 million as a General Fund appropriation to aug-

ment the bonding bill. Additionally, the legislature and

the Governor have already approved a $150 million

increase to the budget reserve to protect the state’s

fiscal future. (See table on next page)

On top of the $200 million in “bonding cash,” the Sen-

ate released details of its $846 million bonding bill on

May 5. The Senate held hearings on the proposal this

week, working to achieve the bipartisan three-fifth

majority approval required to pass a bonding bill to

the Governor.

As Session nears its conclusion, we are putting in long

hours to finalize a package of tax cuts and key invest-

ments to help Minnesota workers and businesses

thrive.

Sincerely,

Around the District Happy Mothers’ Day! Sunday will be a day to recognize and honor the

women in our lives. Thank you, mothers, for all of your hard and dedicated work each and every day!

Celebrate Mothers’ Day this Sunday at Minnehaha Grange Hall in Edina. The

event will include refreshments, music, crafts, and games for families. The open house will go from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Congratulations to Jamie Alsleben! Jamie is a sixth grade teacher at Eden

Prairie’s Cedar Ridge Elementary School. He was named the Air Force Associa-tion Teacher of the Year for his innovative work in the classroom encouraging his students to use technology, stay updated on the news, and interact with peers. Thank you for your dedication to our children!

Thanks @HungerSolutions for your kind rec-

ognition of our collaborative efforts to end

hunger in MN. pic.twitter.com/76GfBars9y

Tweet of the Week

Highlight

I joined several Minnesota Senators and Representatives for an inaugural tour on the new Green Line Light Rail Transit. The Green Line travels between the downtown areas of Minneapolis and St. Paul and will open to the public on June 14. It is exciting to see this light rail project nearing completion and I am antici-pating the completion of our own Southwest LRT project in 2018!

Around the Capitol

The Women’s Economic Security Act passed the Senate Floor on Thursday with a 43-24 vote, a major victory for all workers and families in Minnesota. The omnibus bill provides equal employment opportunities and pay for women. The collection of legislation seeks various policy changes that include: Requiring businesses with 40 or more employees bidding on state con-

tacts over $500,000 to obtain an equal pay certificate to ensure women are paid the same as men for positions of similar value;

Funding a study to determine the feasibility of creating state-administered retirement savings plan for private employees not offered pensions by their employers;

Extending pregnancy and parental leave; Protecting women from workplace discrimination and domestic vio-

lence; Encouraging women to enter nontraditional and high-wage jobs; And increasing accommodations for nursing mothers in the workplace.

The Senate passed legislation to legalize the use of cannabis for

medical purposes on Tuesday by a vote of 48-18, with broad bi-

partisan support. The bill would allow people suffering from condi-

tions such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, epilepsy, glaucoma, and intractable

pain to obtain up to 2.5 ounces at a time of medical cannabis with

their doctor’s recommendation. The bill seeks to balance access with

strong measures to ensure limitations and safeguards. Some of those

elements include limiting the number of locations where cannabis

can be obtained, a multitude of provisions to prevent any diversion

of marijuana for non-medical purposes, and strong sanctions should

anyone fail to follow the rules. With these changes, the bill now has

some of the tightest requirement in the country for prescribing, li-

censing, and dispensing medicinal marijuana. (S.F. 1641)

The e-cigarette regulation legislation attempts to create regula-

tions that allow the use of e-cigarette products without asking the

public to share the possible health risks of the devices. If signed into

law, the new language would treat e-cigarettes the same as tobacco

and in turn ban smoking them in the same places cigarettes are

banned. The bill also prohibits the use of these devices in schools;

allows local units of governments to require a tobacco license for

businesses to sell the devices, and keeps the products behind the

counter at retailers just as other tobacco products are now. The bill

also adds ‘tobacco-related devices’ and ‘electronic delivery devices to

the list of tobacco products that are prohibited to be sold to minors.

The same criminal penalties would apply as if someone had sold

them any other tobacco product already prohibited under law.

Note: The legislature’s plan leaves a budgetary balance of more than $600 million in FY 2016-17.