The Weekly Advocate


In This Issue:
Quick Links:
Legislative Action
From the Minnesota Legislature's Website
Veto Process and Powers of the Governor

Once a bill has passed both the House and the Senate in identical form, it's ready to be sent to the governor for consideration. The governor has several options when considering a bill. The governor can:
  • sign the bill and it will become law;
  • veto the bill;
  • line-item veto individual items within an appropriations bill;
    or
  • do nothing, which at the end of the biennium results in a pocket veto.
The timing of these actions is as important as the actions themselves.

If a bill is passed by the Legislature and presented to the governor before the final three days of the session, the bill will become law unless the governor vetoes it by returning it to the Legislature within three days. The governor normally signs the bills and files them with the Secretary of State, but his signature is not required.

The Minnesota Legislature has more about the veto process as well as a complete list of bills vetoed by Governor Dayton.  

Runs, Resources and Side-by-Sides
Monday Legislative Briefing
May 15, 2017 - Week 20
 Legislative Alerts from the GR Team
Governor Vetoes
Education Bill (H.F. 890) - Return to Negotiations
Education Bill Action Alert
It's back to negotiations. The Governor vetoed the education, as well as four other bills. It is important that you listen to Kirk's video message and contact your legislators TODAY!


View our videos on YouTube
 Legislative Alerts from the GR Team
Teacher Licensure Reform
Ask Your Legislator to Vote YES!
Teacher Licensure Action Alert
With less than one week remaining in this legislative session, school board members and superintendents have been specifically asked by the bill authors to make our voice heard at this critical time.

Today write, call or email your legislators and ask them to vote yes on H.F. 140, the teacher licensure reform bill to ensure a truly non-partisan bill.
 
*The Teacher licensing system should be consolidated in one entity, namely the Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board as proposed by the House and the Senate.
*Teacher licensing should be simplified and streamlined into a 4-tier system as proposed by the House and Senate.
* We need more flexibility to hire qualified candidates in hard to fill areas such as CTE or other content areas.
 
Your legislators need to know how the flexibility and simplicity of a new tiered-licensure system would impact your district and what it means for student opportunities.
 Legislative Alerts from the GR Team
Tax Bill (H.F. 4) Ballot Language
Ask Legislators to Remove from Tax Bill 
Tax Bill Action Alert
Part of the House Tax bill (HF4) contains a mandate for districts to list their board approved money on a per pupil basis directly on any operating levy ballot - whether renewing, increasing or revoking and replacing.
 
We are including a sample of how this language would look on a ballot and ask you to contact your legislator and tell them:
  1. Putting the language on the ballot is simply confusing. People will see up to three different per pupil numbers on the ballot and not comprehend exactly what they are voting for. Are they voting for the operating increase? Are they voting for the board approved? Are they voting for both?
  2. When people are confused on a ballot, they usually vote NO or don't vote. This could hurt school districts trying to support students in their districts through operating levies.
  3. School districts are ALREADY asked to send out notices about the ballot. This is the time to explain the ballot, not when people are actually in the voting booth for something that has nothing to do with the vote.
Schools already have a tough time passing referenda, and we certainly don't need this in the Tax bill.

Pensions

Teachers Retirement Association (TRA)

Senate
Last week there was a dramatic turn of events with the Senate pensions bill (S.F. 545). The Senate Finance Committee moved the  bill. Sen. Julie Rosen, author of the bill and chair of the committee, amended the bill to remove all TRA provisions from the bill.  Assuming there is progress, Rosen said she hopes to fold TRA back into the bill during Senate floor action next week.
 
Members of the committee reaffirmed a pension bill is needed this year to avoid deterioration in the financial status of TRA and the other pension funds.   
 
Grace Keliher, MSBA (Minnesota School Boards Association) testified that regardless of what the final bill looks like, state funding must cover the increased costs for school districts otherwise any increase to the education is consumed by unpaid pension costs.
 
House
The House Government Operations Committee approved the omnibus pension bill (HF 565) on Friday morning on a voice vote.  TRA's provisions remain in the bill.
   
MSBA Government Affairs Director, Grace Keliher, testified that she was shocked by action taken by the Senate Finance Committee yesterday to remove TRA from the bill while the committee acted to include funding in the bill for other employer costs. She said that TRA has had several major cost increases for school districts in the past 10 years, and the latest proposal is "too much," requiring the state to provide funding to cover the costs.

Teacher Licensure Reform

The Teacher Licensure Conference Committees met last Wednesday morning. MSBA's Denise Dittrich thanked the conference committee for their efforts thus far with the reform of the teacher licensure bill and asked them to retain the flexibility and reduction of barriers the bill offers. The committee adjourned so the chairs could meet with Commissioner Cassillius, who the governor has authorized to negotiate on his behalf.

This bill will hopefully be on Governor Dayton's desk by the end of the week.  
In Case You Missed It

E-12 Finance

With only seven days left in this 2017 legislative session, the E-12 Finance bill ( H.F. 890) was vetoed by Governor Dayton. His letter urges leadership to return to negotiations and craft a bill he will sign.

House Research and Senate Counsel Bill Summary

Conference Committee Budget Items   
Health and Human Services

Brain Health Pilot Programs

The commissioner shall competitively award grants for up to five pilot programs and a report to improve brain health in youth sports in Minnesota.

The report shall make recommendations including
best practices for schools to employ in order to identify and respond to occurrences of concussions, including return to play and return to learn.

Youth Sports Concussion Working Group and Brain Health Pilot Programs would be allocated $450,000 in fiscal year 2018, a one-time appropriation with $150,000  for the youth sports concussion working group, including any required incidence research; and
$300,000 is for the brain health pilot program . 
Bill Introductions

H. F. 2662, A bill permitting the administration of medical cannabis in schools.

 
 
Minnesota School Boards Association | 507-934-8133 | [email protected]
   http://www.mnmsba.org
145 University Avenue West
St. Paul, MN 55103
Like us on FacebookFollow us on Twitter
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Stay informed with 
 

Copyright © 2017. All Rights Reserved.