Supplemental spending bill a missed opportunity 

By: Senator John Jasinski

In the past, I have written about the primary achievement of the 2018 legislative session: a bonding bill that targets funding to core statewide infrastructure, like roads and bridges, sewer and water projects, and more. The things Minnesotans depend on in their daily lives.

The infrastructure bill will help a lot of people. Unfortunately, the truth is that we could have done far more. We simply did not have a governor who was interested in compromise.

Take our supplemental budget bill. It was a modest bill; it simply made some adjustments to the comprehensive budget that we passed in 2017 and added funding for priorities that came to the forefront this session.

Initially, the governor expressed discomfort with a number of items in the bill. In the spirit of compromise, we eliminated more than half of the policies he had concerns about.

Unfortunately, even after meeting him more than half way, he vetoed the bill. That decision will have serious consequences for Minnesota families.

Here’s a rundown of just some of the people who will be harmed:

• Anyone who has to interact with the MNLARS disaster, including deputy registrars and frustrated citizens. We included funding for staff and technology repairs. The program will now likely get worse and worse.
• Parents worried about the safety of the children at school. Districts would have been able to add more security officers, make safety upgrades to their facilities, and improve mental health counseling for students thanks to our bill. Instead, schools will have to make do with what they have thanks to the governor’s veto.
• Families impacted by the opioid crisis. We had grants for opioid prevention programs, added a new program to help paramedics provide follow up care for opioid overdose patients, and targeted the problem at the source by requiring doctors to use a program to monitor patient prescriptions. The opioid crisis is devastating our communities, but they will have to wait a little longer for any solutions because of the governor’s veto.
• Individuals with loved ones in long-term care facilities. We responded to the heartbreaking elder abuse scandal by strengthening abuse prevention, by streamlining the complaint process and making it more transparent, and by requiring long-term oversight and accountability. The governor vetoed these important protections.
• Drivers concerned about distracted driving. We strengthened penalties against distracted drivers, because we have seen too many avoidable deaths from texting and driving. The governor vetoed these penalties.

The list goes on. We strengthened penalties against child pornographers. We expanded broadband access for underserved communities in Greater Minnesota. We provided more mental health counseling for rural and farm families. We expanded student access to mental health counselors through telemedicine. We helped college students by offering student debt counseling, workforce development scholarships, and more affordable textbooks. The governor vetoed all of it.

You start to get an idea of why I consider the 2018 legislative session a missed opportunity. But despite those frustrations, I am energized and excited for the future.

Next year we will have a new governor and many new members of the legislature. It is a chance for a fresh start. When session begins in January, you can bet I will be ready to get right back to work for you.

 

This column originally ran in the Owatonna People’s Press.