Senate Education Bill Set to Go.

The Senate E-12 funding bill cleared another hurdle yesterday as it was recommended to pass after a couple of minor amendments were added in the Senate Finance Committee.  At this point, it appears that all of he budget division bills will be combined into the mega-ginormous supplemental budget and policy bill I referenced as a possibility last week.  The question remains whether each funding bill will receive a separate floor vote before it is combined into the larger document.  The House combined the Higher Education budget bill and the E-12 budget bill into one document at Monday's House Ways and Means Committee meeting, but the extent of the combining process is not yet clear.  My Magic 8-Ball says "Reply Hazy.  Ask Again Later."  And believe me, there are days I believe the Magic 8-Ball is as good a prognosticator as any when it comes to predicting the movement of government.

The path the Legislature appears to be taking could lead to either a messy end or a streamlined decision-making process at the close of the 2018 session.  I think one of the biggest hang-ups will be the Governor's insistence that policy and spending come to him in separate bills.  The Legislature does not seem to be adhering to that request, which could lead to a series of rapid-fire vetoes by the Governor.  

Tax Front.  We have three-and-a-half weeks left in the session and things will start moving quickly.  The one hold-up now is the Senate has not released its tax bill and it will be curious to see what is contained in that bill.  The House Tax Committee released its bill yesterday and it aims to provide both relief and help Minnesota taxpayers navigate the changes to the Federal tax code without assuming an additional burden.  Here is a link to a summary of the House Tax proposal:  House Taxes Committee approves omnibus bill focused on conformity

"Clean" School Safety Bill Introduced.  During her testimony earlier in the 2018 session, Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius was asked why the school safety bill proposed by the Governor was not introduced separately instead of being combined with the Governor's other education funding proposals.  Reacting to that query, the Commissioner set about having that bill drafted and it was introduced last Thursday in the House and Senate by Representative Jenifer Loon and Senator Eric Pratt respectively.  The House and Senate have developed their own variations on the school safety theme, but the possibility remains that this bill could become the school safety vehicle if negotiations on the mega-budget bill bog down.  I doubt the Legislature would pass the Governor's recommendations without some adjustments and policy changes, but in the era of high-speed technology, producing a final bill doesn't take a lot of time and having an extra avenue to accomplish needed school safety improvements isn't a bad thing to have at one's disposal.

Here is a link to the bill language:  HF 4439/SF 4015