Greetings Senate District 2!

Its been another busy week at the Capitol as we quickly approach our first legislative deadline. This week was headlined by several bills intended to improve school safety, a MN.IT reform bill, and legislation to help local businesses impacted by the Benson Power closure. Please read my full legislative update below and as always be sure to follow my Facebook page for more updates.

School Safety 

Senate Republicans advanced multiple bills focused on school safety this week, adopting a comprehensive approach to mental health and facilities security. Three of the proposals provide new flexible funding for school safety, while another amends state emergency evacuation regulation that could inadvertently put students at risk.

• SF 3243: Allows school districts to use long-term facilities maintenance revenue for remodeling and equipping existing school facilities to increase the safety and security of students and staff.
• SF 2754:  Provides one-time revenue for safe schools that can be used for a variety of things including mental health, school counselors, structural building improvements, and more.
• SF 3068: Creates a new grant program for public school districts to conduct professional safety audits of their local schools and identify any potential areas for improvement. Districts may receive up to 100% of their costs reimbursed through state grants.
• SF 2900: Allows schools to modify their emergency drill procedure by not forcing the institution to fully empty the building every time an alarm sounds. Currently, schools must fully evacuate, even in the instance of a verified false alarm. The perpetrator in Parkland exploited this.

MN.IT Reform

We introduced a bill to restructure Minnesota’s information technology agency, MN.IT, after another disastrous public software system rollout caused countless headaches and lost revenue for thousands of Minnesotans and small businesses. Our bill will abolish MN.IT as a stand-alone agency and roll its shared core functions, like email and server management, into the Department of Administration. State agencies will then be allowed to consider competitive outside bids for future software development needs. Additionally, the Office of the Legislative Auditor will provide periodic evaluations of large IT projects for the purpose of legislative oversight. Ultimately, this legislation will ensure that our state avoids disasters like MNLARS and MNsure in the future.

Benson Power Biomass Facility

Last year, the PCA authorized the closure of Benson Power biomass facility since it would result in significant savings for utility ratepayers across Minnesota. A consequence of the sale and closure of the plant has been that several businesses established to serve the biomass plant have had their business models upended and could now face catastrophic financial losses. Unfortunately, some of the companies affected happen to be in our district.

To remedy this problem, I have co-authored SF 3290 which will allow these impacted businesses to submit claims and receive compensation for the business they lost. With this compensation, businesses will have more financial flexibility allowing them to preserve jobs and efficiently utilize their resources as they transition towards new business opportunities.