Senate passes bills that focus on education, health care, property tax relief

By Sen. Rod Skoe
Minnesota Senate

The Senate has moved quickly this session.  This week, we finished passing every major budget bill, a property tax-relief bill and a bonding bill.

On Friday, the Senate approved the Tax Bill which included the Property Tax Relief Bill which came out of the Property Tax Division that I chair.  It expands residential and agricultural land market value credits and increases homeowners’ property tax refunds – thus reducing property taxes.  State aid to cities and counties will also be boosted under this legislation in order to help reverse cuts to local governments in recent years.  This provision will help cities and counties across the state provide essential services to residents – including police and fire, libraries, parks and recreation, while keeping property taxes in check.  As a result of this bill, the average Minnesota homeowner will see a 5.8 percent reduction in property taxes.

Among the budget bills passed was health and human services legislation that lays the foundation to improve affordable health care access for every Minnesotan.  In addition, our state’s hardworking, long-term care workers received a 3.25 percent cost-of-living adjustment in this bill.

The Senate also passed the education and higher education spending bills.  The Senate spends $500 million to fully fund special education in the state, freeing districts from spending their own money to fund the federal and state mandates on special education.  On Saturday, the Senate will pass an additional 2 percent increase per year for general education programs.  The Senate is working to reduce the debt load students are taking on to graduate from college.  We are reducing the share students are responsible for before they can apply for the state grant program and increasing funding to the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) to help curb rising tuition costs at the state-run colleges.

Now that most of the Senate committee work is finished, legislators are getting ready to focus on compromise with the House and the governor.  After a short break for the Easter holiday, we will return to finish our policy work, and then begin the conference committee process.  The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn by May 21.