March 11, 2016

Senator Terri Bonoff

Weekly Update
Greetings newsletter friends! The first week of Session is now over, and I can tell the
next nine weeks will be intense. We began in conflict as if we were in the final days
rather than the first week. I will do my best to be a bridge in the days to come. This
week many legislators attended the One Minnesota Conference, and despite bringing us all together there were still
tense floor debates following that regarding the extension of unemployment insurance benefits to those in need on the
Iron Range. Hopefully we will do that in short order. As an aside, the most exciting thing about the One Minnesota
conference was hearing from Minnesota native and NY Times columnist Tom Friedman. He was so smart and inspiring!

Iron Range Unemployment Extension (S.F. 1006)

The Iron Range is facing an economic crisis due to idled or slow production at many mines. On Thursday, the
Senate passed legislation extending unemployment insurance benefits off the floor. This extension will provide up
to 26 weeks of coverage for those directly affected by mine layoffs and the people affected in related industries.
Many of the workers affected by the earliest round of layoffs have exhausted their unemployment benefits. This
legislation would extend those benefits from the current $1.6 billion available in the states unemployment fund.
The total cost of the extension would be approximately $29.6 million. After heated debate, I was pleased to see
the bill pass with strong bi-partisan support with only three opposing.

MinneMinds (S.F. 2411)

Tuesday, I joined Democratic and Republican colleagues in the House and Senate to support early childhood scholarships. I am co-authoring legislation to improve the access to these scholarships. There is a growing body of evidence that
high-quality early childhood education scholarships targeted for the most at-risk
children are effective, and yield high returns to the public dollars invested in
them. By ensuring that children have the support and opportunities they need to
begin kindergarten ready to succeed, a study from the Federal Reserve Bank indicates the state will reap up to a $12 return for every $1 invested in early childhood education. I have championed this approach at the legislature since 2008
and am pleased to see the wonderful progress and strong support.

University of Minnesota Research Standards (S.F. 2412)

This week in the Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee we heard testimony from the University
Leadership and our Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) on the status of the reform efforts surrounding the practice
of human subject research. As you may recall, last session our committee spent a great deal of time uncovering and focusing on the unethical practices that have occurred in the Department of Psychiatry at the University. We did this in
response to not only strong requests from citizens to review this matter, but also in response to the findings of our OLA.
This weeks hearing gave us a chance to review the corrective action that has since occurred as a result of these findings. It should also be noted that the Faculty Senate demanded action in this area as well. Here is the link to most recent update report to give you a sense of the far-reaching scope of the changes taking place to correct these issues.
However, while much progress has been made, additional review of the Psychiatry department reveals a continuing dysfunctional culture. An external review we have received and a nurse willing to testify at our hearing document this. We,
the higher-education committee, will not rest in our oversight capacity until we are certain corrective action has not
only been taken but is in fact, changing and transforming the practices and culture within the department. Jim Nobles,
our OLA, is continuing to review this matter and will provide us with his analysis in the coming weeks. I have asked for a
status update prior to the end of session. One action we did take yesterday was to pass a bill I authored prohibiting any
person who is in a 72-hour hold from being put in a research study. The University has already enacted this new policy
but we felt it important to add it to our laws as well. These patients are extremely vulnerable when they have been
involuntarily committed. This bill passed out of the committee and was referred to the Judiciary Committee.

Real ID (S.F. 1646)

OLA Report on the Board of Teaching

Many of you have contacted my office

about REAL ID, since the current Minnesota
IDs are not in compliance. The Department of Homeland Security extended the
deadline for compliance until 2018. The
Senate Transportation Committee passed a
bill that removes the prohibition preventing the commissioner of the Department of
Public Safety (DPS) from complying with
the federal REAL ID program. The bill requires DPS to be ready to issue licenses on
Oct. 1, 2016.

The Office of the Legislative Auditor recently released a report on the Board
of Teaching and the Department of Education. The report gave strong
recommendations on how to best streamline the teacher licensure process and
provide pathways to ensure the highest quality educators are in Minnesota
classrooms. The OLA called the current process broken. This is not
surprising considering this audit was chosen after serious concerns were raised
and lawsuits were filed. This has been of particular concern for me over the
past several years. I have been a leading advocate for the recently passed
alternative licensure program. The Board of Teaching has not embraced this
new law and I have found them to be a barrier in its implementation.
Following the OLA report we heard new recommendations from the Board of
Teaching. I am disappointed to report their latest proposal continues to
undermine this program. I will do all I can to thwart this effort.