Sen. Bill Weber adds insights from session's E-12 Education funding to tax reform

 
The Star Herald reached out to the local state senator to recap the recently completed 2015 legislative session, highlighting areas our Rock County readers might care most about.
By Bill Weber
With the regular session of the 2015 Minnesota legislative session behind us and the prospects for a special session in front of us due to the governor’s veto of bipartisan bills, these are just a few thoughts of what was accomplished.
Nursing home reimbursement reform adds $138 million to funding and removes the tiered system, which shortchanged rural homes for many years. It also added additional money for staffing.
E-12 education funding. More than $400 million over the base was added. In light of the way government spending is figured, when the automatic increase in funding occurs due to the previous biennium, over $1 billion more will be spent on education than the previous biennium. Neither the Senate nor the House passed mandatory 4-year-old Pre-K. As I write this, the governor has vetoed this bill.
Health and Human Services. While nursing home funding was included in this bill, other significant features include increased funding for child protection oversight which has had significant problems, increased funding for payments to rural dentists to help provide more services to rural Minnesota, and increased funding for mental health service providers. 
Unfortunately, needed reforms to MN Sure did not happen and the state-run insurance program will remain too costly for those paying their own premiums. The legislative auditor has been extremely critical of this program, and I believe it is not sustainable as it stands. Also, home and community-based services were left out of the mix in funding.
Agriculture and environment. This bill carried the funding for the state response to the Avian Influenza problem, which has hit our poultry industry.
It also included significant MPCA reform to bring the guarantee of sound science, cost/benefit analysis and penalty reform. 
Buffer strip language as negotiated between farm groups and the governor was also included. This is another bill vetoed by the governor. The reforms provided are important to communities, agriculture and industries and still provide a framework for resource protection.
Transportation.  A bare-bones, lights-on bill was passed. When it became obvious that the people did not want the governor’s tax increase on gas, he and Senate leadership abandoned any other attempt to provide additional money to the repair and replacement of roads and bridges. This was very disappointing and, once more, moves this problem down the road, pothole-filled as it may be.
Tax reform. No meaningful tax reform was allowed by the governor or senate leadership. Many yet fail to recognize the loss of business and taxpayers we are experiencing due to a punitive tax policy. While the governor is offering something in special session, the details of which I am not yet fully aware, it is not significant in light of the larger problem.
There are many other issues but space and time demand those be handled another time.