ST. PAUL, MN – Governor Mark Dayton today visited the University of Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State University, urging legislators to compromise on terms for a Special Session. Since June 1, 2016, Governor Dayton has been calling on legislative leaders to agree to needed investments in higher education, job creation, and public safety before he will call a Special Session. As of now, House Speaker Kurt Daudt, Senate Minority Leader David Hann, and their respective Caucuses have been resistant to making those urgently-needed investments.

 

“It is time now for the Legislature to come back to St. Paul and finish their work,” said Governor Dayton. “Minnesotans deserve better college classrooms, clean water infrastructure, tax cuts for 650,000 people, and thousands of jobs from comprehensive bonding and transportation bills.

 

 

After carefully reviewing each of the bills passed during the final hours of the 2016 Legislative Session, Governor Dayton signed into law new investments in prekindergarten education, broadband expansion, economic equity, and more. However, after discovering a $101 million error in the Tax Bill, Governor Dayton issued this letter to legislative leaders, outlining his compromise conditions, urging them to correct the Tax Bill and agree to essential investments in education, job creation, and public safety that were neglected during the Regular Session. 

 

As of yet, Republican legislators have not agreed to those eminently reasonable requirements, leaving in doubt: tax cuts for 650,000 Minnesotans; essential investments in higher education and clean water infrastructure; and needed funding for initiatives that will assure the public’s safety.

 

 

• Tax Cuts for 650,000 Minnesotans – Governor Dayton supports this year’s Omnibus Tax bill, which would cut taxes for 650,000 Minnesotans, including farmers, veterans, college graduates, working families, and more. It also included disaster relief funding for Madelia, increases in Local Government Aid and County Program Aid, and other essential provisions for a Better Minnesota. Unfortunately, the bill passed in the final hours of the Regular Session included a $101 million error; therefore, the Governor could not sign it into law. Governor Dayton stands ready to sign the corrected bill into law during a Special Session.

 

• Urgently-Needed Investments in Higher Education, Clean Water, and Public Safety – Because the House waited until the last minute to propose a bonding bill, the Legislature ran out of time to pass the bill in the final minutes of the Regular Session. The bill was full of errors, and did not meet the needs of Minnesota’s communities. Governor Dayton has called on Speaker Daudt and all four Caucuses to agree to fix the errors in the bonding bill, and include additional essential investments in the bonding bill for higher education and public safety. If legislative leaders agree to this compromise, communities across Minnesota will benefit from urgently-needed investments in clean water infrastructure, higher education improvements, and other essential infrastructure needs.

 

• Needed Funding for Higher Education, Job Creation, and Public Safety – The budget passed in Regular Session did not include adequate funding for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU), essential public safety needs, and actually cut funding for the Minnesota Investment Fund (MIF) and the Minnesota Job Creation Fund, which have created thousands of jobs over the last several years. Governor Dayton is urging legislative leaders to include additional funding for MnSCU, the University of Minnesota, autism services, safe staffing levels at the St. Peter Security Hospital, National Guard security improvements to protect our soldiers, and restoring funding for MIF and the Minnesota Job Creation Fund.

 

 

• University of Minnesota Duluth Advanced Sciences Building – The University of Minnesota Duluth’s current chemistry building was originally constructed in 1948 and lacks adequate ventilation, chemical storage space, safety infrastructure, and working gas lines and valves. If passed, the bonding bill would invest $27.2 million into a new Chemistry and Advanced Materials Science Building to help train the next generation of world-class innovators for careers in chemistry, engineering, and material sciences right here in Minnesota. Governor Dayton also has called for $4.4 million in new investments for basic maintenance at the University of Minnesota Duluth. 

 

“We greatly appreciate Governor Dayton's support on this important project,” said UMD Chancellor Lendley Black. “The new Chemistry and Advanced Materials Science facility will provide much needed space and growth for STEM education and careers. This project is a perfect example of responding to our local economic and workforce needs, while enhancing the learning experience for our students.”

 

• Duluth Energy Efficiency Upgrades – The City of Duluth’s current downtown steam heating system is more than 80 years old, runs on coal, and needs significant upgrades to remain functional. The City plans to install a modern, efficient, closed-loop hot water system to reduce water, energy, and chemical consumption and allow for future integration of renewable energy. If passed, the bonding bill would invest $15 million to help with construction of the new energy efficient system.

 

• St. Louis River Restoration –For decades, untreated waste was dumped into the river, causing significant environmental degradation. Now, after years of remediation, the river is beginning to recover. If passed, the bonding would invest $12.7 million to help leverage an additional $47.2 million in federal funding to help remediate contaminated sediment on the river bottom.

 

 

• Duluth International Airport Runway Reconstruction and Sky Harbor Airport Improvement –The primary runway at Duluth International Airport is more than 60 years old, leaving it unable to handle the demands of commercial air travel and the 148th F-16 Fighter Wing based in Duluth. If passed, the bonding bill would invest $5.9 million to begin making the necessary improvements at the international airport and the Sky Harbor Airport. This funding is expected to help leverage an additional $47 million in Federal Aviation Administration funding.

 

 

• Lake Superior College Basic Infrastructure –If passed, the bonding bill would invest $1.4 million to make critical infrastructure improvements at Lake Superior College. This funding would be used to replace the deteriorating roof on the college’s main building, repair and replace old stairs, and repair a declining exterior wall.

 

• Duluth Seaway Port Authority – The Duluth Seaway is the largest port on the Great Lakes, handling an average of 38 million short tons of cargo and nearly 1,000 vessel visits each year. If passed, the bonding bill would invest $2.4 million to help ensure the port remains an efficient, world-class facility. This funding is part of the state’s Port Development Assistance Program through MnDOT.

 

 

• St. Cloud State University Eastman Hall Renovation Project – If passed the bonding bill would invest $18.572 million to transform the largely vacant, 85-year-old Eastman Hall building into a modern health services facility. The new facility will consolidate the student health services office and create a new learning environment for students in health related fields to be trained in multiple disciplines – meeting the demand of the professional communities and better preparing students for careers after college. Governor Dayton also is insisting that the bonding bill include $1.1 million to help St. Cloud State improve building security and repair the Engineering and Computer Center building.

 

“We are thankful for the Governor’s support and recognition of the impact St. Cloud State and MnSCU makes statewide,” said SCSU President Earl H. Potter III. “A renovated Eastman Hall will allow our programs in the School of Health and Human Services to expand on the expectation of applied and experiential learning in preparing students for success in Minnesota’s communities and workforce.”

 

• St. Cloud Technical and Community College – Governor Dayton is insisting that the bonding bill include $1.34 million for basic infrastructure improvements at St. Cloud Technical and Community College to help ensure the campus remains in good condition. The college would use these resources to replace the roof of their health sciences building and upgrade the HVAC system in their main campus building.

 

• St. Cloud Correctional Facility – If passed, the bonding bill will invest $19 million to help protect public and employee safety by finishing construction of the new intake and loading dock at the St. Cloud Correctional Facility. It will also invest $4.2 million to take care of basic infrastructure upgrades at the prison. 

 

Governor Dayton is urging Minnesotans to contact their legislators, and encourage them to: 1) agree to the Governor’s compromise terms for a Special Session, which would make urgently needed investments in a Better Minnesota; and 2) do the work they left unfinished during the 2016 Legislative Session. Minnesotans can contact their legislators by using the “Who Represents Me?” tool on the Legislative Coordinating Commission’s website.