On Tuesday, Gov. Mark Dayton unveiled his $100 million supplemental budget proposal to deliver tax cuts for over 400,000 Minnesota families, make needed investments in early learning to eliminate achievement gaps, rebuild the state’s aging infrastructure, assure clean and affordable drinking water, and expand economic opportunity by addressing disparities.

Dayton has suggested diverting $67 million of the equity package toward grants and spending that would be administered by departments in charge of things like economic development and education. The proposal leaves $33 million for lawmakers and community groups to find other initiatives aimed at reducing the disparities.

The governor’s plan also emphasizes education. He wants to lower college tuition for teachers to make the profession more appealing, and recruit more teachers of color to reflect an increasingly diverse student body. The Office of Higher Education would allocate $20 million in grants intended to provide students with mentors and other assistance to help close the racial graduation gap.

Dayton stressed that his ideas are just a starting point. Legislators will be proposing their own supplemental budget.

Iron Range Unemployment Benefits

Leaders from both parties have vowed to make extending benefits one of their first priorities this session.

House Ways & Means Committee Republicans on Monday linked a measure to extend unemployment benefits for laid-off Iron Range steelworkers with a tax refund for businesses that pay into the state’s unemployment trust fund. DFLers don’t want the two items tied together.

Republicans on the committee signaled that the bill is a reasonable compromise for DFLers who have opposed directly tying unemployment benefits to the tax credits, and instead have said they want to pass a “clean” bill. Rep. Pat Garofalo (R-Farmington) inserted two new provisions into the bill that he said are agreeable to the DFL.  The new proposal would extend benefits for 26 weeks paired with a return of about $258 million to the state’s businesses instead of the original $272 million, and would automatically return money to employers in future years if the unemployment fund reaches a certain threshold. The revised measure was taken up and passed by a vote of 104-25 by the full House on Thursday. Prior to the vote, Sen. Bakk said he will not accept a combined bill, so it may end up in conference, further delaying implementation.

Compassionate Care/Aid in Dying

On Wednesday, Sens. Eaton (DFL-Brooklyn Center) and John Marty (DFL-Roseville), along with Rep. Mike Freiberg (DFL-Golden Valley) held a press conference on the Compassionate Care Act.

Sen. Eaton said that the bill provides another tool to show humanity at the end of life.  Sen. Marty said that polls show strong public support. Rep. Freiberg is the House author and noted that the bill contains narrow circumstances in which an individual could choose to administer end of life medication.

Eaton explained that patients would have to have a mental health assessment by a doctor, along with a second opinion. Patients would have to have less than 6 months to live, not be coerced, and be aware of alternatives. It was explained that the prescription must be self-administered, and a patient would apply for it when palliative and hospice care are not sufficient. Even if it is not needed, supporters say it is a huge relief knowing it is an option.

The cause grew out of Oregon’s 1997 Death with Dignity Act. Similar legislation has spread to at least four other states and is under consideration in others. Eaton introduced the measure last year and has been holding listening sessions across the state to build support.

Later that day, the bill was heard in the Senate Health and Human Services  Committee. The hearing about the government’s role in allowing terminally ill people to control when and how they die drew hundreds of people and hours of emotional testimony. The issue became so contentious that at the close of a long day, Sen. Eaton abruptly offered to withdraw the measure. Eaton said that so many misunderstandings had arisen about the proposal that it was not ready for a vote. She added that the short legislative session left little time to correct the record, so she would try again next year.

Paid Family Leave

Sen. Katie Sieben’s (DFL-Cottage Grove) proposal for 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave received a Senate Judiciary hearing on Thursday. The bill includes a new insurance model (affordable payroll insurance pool) to help provide paid leave for all Minnesota workers. It provides partial wage replacement for a major life event. The payout would be calculated based on a maximum average weekly wage or $1,000 per week. The program would be funded with a 50% employer and 50% employee contribution. It would be phased in over time and would have a startup cost for the State, but would eventually be self-funded. The payout would be progressive so that those earning the lowest wages would get the biggest payout. If an employer currently provides paid leave with the same or better benefits then they would be granted an exemption.

Among the testifiers was Ryan Wick, MN Employment Law Council. He said the underlying principle is fine, but that there would be unintended administrative consequences for employers. He also testified that the opt out provision is really not an opt out since no employer will be able to meet all the requirements, and that no state union has these benefits. Cam Winton with the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce said that the bill is rushed and would be a new tax on employees and employers. He said it would provide a richer benefit set than any other state.

The bill was passed as amended and re-referred to the Senate Jobs committee.

Sen. Jim Abeler (R-Anoka) Committee Assignments

Sen. Abeler was elected in a special election last month to fill the seat of retiring Sen. Branden Petersen. He had not been appointed to any committees two weeks into session.  The delay in Abeler’s appointments had been due to a dispute between Senate Majority Leader Bakk and Sen. Minority Leader David Hann (R-Eden Prairie) over the reorganization of legislative committees more broadly. Hann announced on Thursday that an agreement had been reached and that Abeler would be assigned to Finance HHS Budget, Finance Higher Education Budget, Higher Education and Workforce Development, and State and Local Government.