Governor Dayton Speaks at the Minnesota Asian Carp Summit

This weekend in Washington D.C. Governor Dayton was elected to be the new Chair of the Midwestern Governors Association at its annual meeting. Replacing Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, Dayton will focus his agenda on creating responses to invasive species, primarily on Asian carp and zebra mussels.

Part of this initiative will include governors helping out to find opportunities to take and challenges to overcome. As a first step to the plan the MGA will hold a meeting of policy advisors, state natural resources and agriculture secretaries and various other experts.

“I am honored to have been chosen by my fellow governors to be Chair of the Midwestern Governors Association. I look forward to working with them to further strengthen our region and address invasive species,” said Dayton, who will serve in this new position until February 2014.

Dayton will also continue Branstad’s initiative to help increase the production of low-cost energy which includes finding ways to increase alternative vehicle fueling stations.

More information about Dayton’s agenda can be found on the MGA’s website .

Today, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman submitted a commentary to the Star Tribune, strongly supporting Governor Dayton’s proposed investments in aid to local governments and $1.4 billion in direct property tax relief to homeowners. Mayor Coleman’s commentary is provided in the attached document. The governor has proposed a $120 million increase in aid to cities and counties, and a $500 property tax rebate for every Minnesota homeowner. More details on the governor’s property tax relief plan are detailed below.

Today, Governor Mark Dayton signed legislation (HF6/SF119) that will extend key tax benefits for 250,000 teachers, college students, homeowners, businesses, senior citizens, and other Minnesotans. The bill, authored by state Rep. Ann Lenczewski and state Sen. Rod Skoe, will also make it easier for Minnesotans to claim these benefits by eliminating time-consuming and confusing paperwork.
 
“As Minnesotans file their income taxes over the next several months, this legislation will deliver the simplicity and relief they deserve,” said Governor Dayton. “I want to thank legislators from both parties for working together to quickly pass this important legislation. Hundreds of thousands of teachers, students, senior citizens, and middle-class families now stand to benefit as a result.”

According to the Minnesota Department of Revenue, over 250,000 Minnesotans will benefit from federal tax conformity, including: 

• Minnesota Teachers. The educator expense deduction will be extended, which will allow 55,000 teachers to continue claiming the $250 reimbursement for personal, out-of-pocket classroom expenses. 
  
• Minnesota Homeowners. Roughly 90,000 homeowners who claim an itemized deduction for mortgage insurance premiums will continue receiving those benefits. 
  
• Minnesota College Students. The higher education tuition deduction is extended, allowing 60,000 students or parents of students to receive up to $4,000 in tax relief based on the tuition and fees they pay for post-secondary education.
• Senior Citizens. Minnesota seniors, who would otherwise need to recalculate the amount of social security benefits taxable in our state, will instead be allowed to transfer up to $100,000 from an IRA or Roth IRA directly to a qualified charity.  
  

By signing the bill into law today, Governor Dayton has ensured that Minnesota taxpayers can claim these deductions without filing an additional form to complete their taxes. 

At a news conference this morning, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis, Richfield Mayor Debbie Goettel, Circle Pines Mayor Dave Bartholomay, and other Minnesota mayors urged legislators to pass Governor Dayton’s plan to stabilize local government aid and deliver property tax relief to Minnesota homeowners and businesses.

Over the last ten years, property taxes have gone up 86 percent, placing a huge burden on the middle class. The governor’s plan would deliver $1.4 billion in direct property tax relief to homeowners, increase aid to cities and counties by $120 million over the next two years. Businesses would also benefit from Governor Dayton’s plan. His budget freezes state property taxes for all businesses and cuts state business property taxes by 3.6 percent, or over $120 million through 2017. More information about these measures is outlined below.

Today in Duluth, DEED Commissioner Katie Clark Sieben and Duluth Mayor Don Ness held a news conference to discuss Governor Dayton’s proposed $30 million investment in the Minnesota Investment Fund (MIF).

MIF is one of the state’s key job creation tools. It helps encourage Minnesota firms that have options outside of the state to expand here, and provides incentives for businesses outside Minnesota to locate in our state. In recent years, MIF sustained an 86 percent budget cut which severely limited its impact in creating and retaining Minnesota jobs. The governor’s proposed reinvestment in the program will help create tens of thousands of jobs and leverage an estimated $990 million in private investment. More information about MIF is included below.

For additional details about the Governor’s budget, visit http://mn.gov/governor/budget/toolkit and follow the conversation on Twitter at #BetterMN.


In the News

Wadena Pioneer Journal
Minnesota expands health care for poor

Another 35,000 poor Minnesotans will get health care under a bill Gov. Mark Dayton signed Tuesday. The bill expands Medical Assistance, the state’s Medicaid program. The federally funded expansion would save $129 million in the next two-year budget, supporters say.

“Minnesotans who will be covered by this legislation desperately need better-quality health care,” Dayton said. “Instead of taking their health crises to emergency rooms, thousands of low-income children, families and individuals will be able to see doctors sooner and live healthier lives.”

State Rep. Tom Huntley added: “This legislation allows us to cover more Minnesotans with health insurance and at the same time get more bang for our buck for Minnesota taxpayers.”

The senior citizen advocacy group AARP praised the action. “We represent thousands of consumers who have either gone without health care for years because they didn’t qualify for coverage or have lost their health insurance during the economic downturn; they will benefit greatly from this expansion,” AARP Minnesota Director Michele Kimball said.

Children’s Mental Health Services 

In order to help all our children achieve success in school and life, Minnesota must provide additional funding to improve access to mental health support and counseling for Minnesota kids. The Governor’s budget invests $7.4 million to expand school-linked mental health grants, doubling the number of Minnesota schools that can offer essential mental health services to students while they are at school. An estimated 13,900 students would gain access to these mental health services annually by 2017.

Having a child that requires mental health services can be difficult on their families. It is necessary to provide support for these students and families at home. The Governor’s budget would provide funds for an initiative to teach parents and siblings skills that will help them support a child’s mental health treatment at home, in addition to counseling.

A growing number of Minnesota kids have been diagnosed with Autism in the past few years. The Governor’s budget would expand access to quality treatment and services to help kids with Autism improve their communication skills and increase social interaction at a critical time in their development. About 440 kids would gain access to these treatments and services by 2014 and 880 kids would gain coverage each year starting in 2015.

Today in the News

Star Tribune
For some Minnesota businesses, sales tax debate is all about fairness

Don't tell Wendy Brown that a business can't charge a sales tax and survive. She's been collecting the tax every time she gives a Schnauzer or a golden doodle a shampoo and a clip at her shop in south Minneapolis. So to her, Gov. Mark Dayton's proposal to lower the tax rate and spread it to a wider variety of businesses -- such as hair salons for humans -- is about fairness.

"I'm just surprised that hair salons have not been taxed," said Brown, owner since 1976 of Wendy's Doghouse, a pet grooming shop a few blocks west of the Minnehaha Dog Park. "I've been paying sales tax forever."

"The lines have been drawn over the years, and they've been relatively arbitrary," said Myron Frans, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Revenue. "There's some people that say the rationale is simply, it depends on who was in the room when the bill was written."

"It's really silly that we've narrowed our sales tax so much," said Wade Vitalis, owner of the Drive-In Restaurant in Taylors Falls (closed for the winter) and Gransburg, Wis. Vitalis has been collecting sales tax for 26 years, adding it to the price of each patty melt and butterscotch malt. When businesses argue that they wouldn't be able to handle it and still prosper, he doesn't buy it.

"I don't have a lot of sympathy for that argument," he said. "If you can't figure out how to do it, someone will, because this is America."

Minnesota Public Radio
Dayton wants to boost funding for English language learning

CHASKA, Minn. — In hopes of boosting student achievement, Gov. Mark Dayton wants to boost funding for the state's English language learning programs by about $4.5 million a year, a 12 percent increase over current levels.

The governor's proposal is aimed at helping the 65,000 students in Minnesota for whom English is not a first language.

The state spends $40 million a year helping those students learn English, while they also study math, reading, writing, and other subjects.

Around the State

This week, cabinet level commissioners continued bringing the governor’s budget proposal to the people of Minnesota. Yesterday, Office of Higher Education Director Larry Pogemiller visited with college students in Moorhead, discussing Governor Dayton’s proposed investments in student financial aid. Today, Department of Human Services Commissioner Lucinda Jesson is in Duluth with Lt. Governor Yvonne Prettner Solon to discuss the governor’s proposed investments in children’s mental health. The governor’s cabinet will continue traveling across Minnesota next week, holding conversations with Minnesotans about Governor Dayton’s Budget for a Better Minnesota.

Today in the News

Minnesota Daily 
Higher education grants may get boost

Higher education backers are excited that the governor’s budget proposal could substantially increase state grant funding for lower-income students. Gov. Mark Dayton’s biennial budget proposal provides $80 million for the Minnesota State Grant Program — a need-based financial assistance program used by a quarter of undergraduates at the University of Minnesota.

The proposed increase in student aid is the largest in more than 25 years, said Larry Pogemiller, director of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.

“We’ve slipped behind in higher education, and now we are in a catch-up mode,” said Rep. Lyndon Carlson Sr., DFL-Crystal. “The governor is trying to get us there as rapidly as he can with his proposal.”

Minnesota has the third-highest postgraduate student debt rate in the country, according to the Institute for College Access and Success.

 WJON – AM1240 
Gov. Dayton Addresses Issues at CSB

Governor Mark Dayton defended his budget proposal at a public forum last night. The governor said we have, “a rare opportunity to lead,” in front of a large crowd at the College of St. Benedict.

Dayton covered a range of issues that include taxes, marriage equality and gun control. The governor called for an increase in taxes on wealthy Minnesotans to provide new revenue for the state. He said, “If people are doing better, they should want to pay more taxes.” Dayton says everyone needs to chip in and pay their fair share.

The governor also made a pitch for an increase in higher education spending. He said Minnesota needs to, “put money where our values are.”