April 1, 2016

Senator Terri Bonoff

Weekly Update
Minnesota PIPELINE Project (SF 2614)
Our PIPELINE Project policy bill was the fourth bill of the session to be passed off the Senate
floor. We worked closely with our House authors so they are prepared to follow suit quickly. This is
important because there were changes we wanted to make to the bill before we went out for a second round of grant funding. The
PIPELINE Project has provided nearly $500,000 in grants to 15 businesses across the state for student tuition, since its passage
last year, helping to connect students and businesses to meet growing workforce demands. This legislation makes technical
changes to provide more clarity to the program, and give priority to high school students. The bill passed off the Senate with a
bipartisan vote. We knew it would be challenging to make the changes so quickly in session. Hopefully there will not be obstacles
in the House.

Flushable Wipes (SF 2520)

It recently came to my attention the issue flushable wipes are
causing for many cities water and sewer systems. In Minnetonka,
for example, the citys water and sewer utilities field supervisor
has said wipes have been a major factor in all the citys sewer
backups in the past five years and have contributed to early equipment failures. Clearing backups costs the city $1,000 to $1,500 for
each clog, with about 8-10 such incidents each year.
To curb these incidents, legislation requiring nonwoven disposable
products to be labeled if they are flushable, passed Judiciary
Committee this week. If products for sale in Minnesota are not
flushable, septic safe and sewer safe, they cannot be advertised,
packaged or labeled as such unless they meet specific requireI enjoyed meeting with those who came for Insurance Day on the Hill. Thank ments for flushable, septic safe, or sewer safe.
you for stopping by!

Education Omnibus Policy Bill

This years Omnibus Education Policy Bill focuses on fixing the teacher shortage and licensure issues, streamlining report
requirements, teacher quality and safety, and testing practices. The bill removes ambiguous language and attempts to provide a
foundation to streamline the licensure process. The recent assaults involving teachers also spurred the committee to work on
the problem of school safety, suspensions, and discipline in general. The Policy Bill also works to improve the K-12 testing
process. Educators are in great need of teaching flexibility, and parents need to be aware of the tests that their children are
taking. This bill works to resolve the problem by making the testing process more transparent, and allows legislators to begin
taking a look at how we can reduce the number of tests Minnesota kids are taking. Finally, the Senate Education Policy bill
includes language that addresses the amount of time teachers and administrators dedicate to writing reports, which is a major
source of frustration and a common complaint among school districts and educators. This bill repeals some reports and
consolidates others under Worlds Best Workforce, establishing uniformity in deadlines and removing obsolete requirements that
only serve to drain time and taxpayer dollars. The bill passed out of Education Committee, and was sent to the Floor.

Higher Ed Omnibus Policy Bill

I enjoyed meeting with TwinWest members in the Senate

Building this week. I appreciate your advocacy and all you do
for the West Metro!

The Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee

also passed its omnibus policy bill and sent it to the floor this
week. This bill looks to eliminate remediation for students entering
college with MCA scores that meet college ready benchmarks and
increase the transferability of credits between campuses. Another
portion of the bill extends the child care grants to graduate students, currently law only allows undergraduates to receive that
grant.
One focus of the bill was increasing transparency of current loan
repayment programs available to students
and graduates. To do this, the bill re-

quires public employers and the Office of Higher Education to promote the Teacher Federal Loan
Forgiveness program. The bill also requires the Office of Higher Education to publish information
regarding institutions graduation rates, student debt, and employment statistics for those considering college.
Lastly, the bill directs MnSCU to develop a residential college experience for students with developmental disabilities such as Autism. Currently there are not many options for these students
once they are finished with high school. This bill directs MnSCU to create a program at four of
their campuses that would provide these students with a full college experience, but the student
would obtain a two year degree or a certificate. Currently Bethel University is the only school in
Minnesota with a program like this.

April 1, 2016

Drones (SF 3312)

Congratulations to Gopher Womens Hockey

Team on their National Championship win! This
is their 7th National Championship. We are
proud of their hard work!

A bill heard in the Senate Transportation and Judiciary Committees

this week lays out new regulations regarding the use of unmanned
aerial vehicles. There has been a massive uptick in drones across
the country, both in recreational and commercial arenas. This new
drone bill seeks to lay out regulations and punishments for actions
that violate the new regulations. These punishments range from a
misdemeanor to a gross misdemeanor. The legislation lays out a licensure process for commercial drone use which includes a fee,
passing a knowledge test, possessing a valid drivers license, and
requiring the operator to carry third party liability insurance. MNDOT
says current law governing drone use is confusing and could lead to
accidents and great bodily harm.

Paid Family Leave (SF 2558)

This week I heard testimony on the Paid Family Leave Bill in
the Jobs, Agriculture, and Rural Development Committee. The
bill was amended in committee to remove the medical leave portion of the bill, which is also the most costly part of the proposal.
Family leave for a new baby or to care for an aging parent are
still part of this legislation. While I believe it is important for all of
us to have the ability to care for our loved ones and support this
benefit in concept, I do not support the way the bill is structured.
The bill calls for the creation of a statewide insurance program
which would be maintained by employee and employer contributions. Last session a bill passed requiring a study to be done to
recommend an insurance approach to this problem. I think we
should have studied the problem without pre-determining the
solution rests in a state- wide insurance program. I believe we
should have gathered community experts, industry, citizens at
large, benefits personnel, etc to explore their ideas regarding the
best way to provide this benefit set. Our research shows that
75% of people have this benefit and yet this proposal is broad
and all encompassing. I will work with my colleagues to explore
an alternative approach to this important concern.

Federal Tax Conformity (SF 2436)

The Senate Tax Committee met this week to hear a bill that
would conform Minnesotas tax code to federal changes made
in late 2015. The bill extends tax deductions passed by
Congress well after the 2015 legislature adjourned, preventing
Minnesota from updating its tax code before the tax filing
season began. Those benefitting most from the changes
would be teachers, students, homeowners, businesses, and
filers claiming the Working Family Credit.
This bill also establishes a mechanism to automatically
adopt federal tax changes in future years. Taxpayers and tax
preparers often voice frustration with Minnesotas nonconformity, particularly in years when the legislature does not
convene until well into tax-filing season. The Department of
Revenue is doing preemptive work this year to identify returns
that need to be updated should this bill pass after the April 18
filing deadline, but the situation may still require amended
returns for some taxpayers.
Personally, I hope the Tax committee considers conforming
with the Federal Estate Tax exemptions as well. I continue to
believe we have much work to do in MN to reform our tax
code!!

Universities and Cellphones

This week a recent MnSCU Policy regarding access to the data on faculty
members cellphones and personal computers came forward. The Higher
Education and Workforce Development Committee discussed this policy,
and drafted legislation to require MnSCU and the University of Minnesota
to disclose their technology policies to us. For more details on this
emerging issue, click here to read the Star Tribunes story on it, or click
here to watch KSTPs video coverage.

Real ID
Governor Dayton signed legislation to allow the Department of Public Safety to begin planning for implementation of Real ID into law. I want to also clarify that a Real ID is different from an Enhanced ID,
click here for a video that clarifies the differences.
This is an issue that affects many people trying to
enter different federal buildings and will affect those
wishing to board a plane in 2018. I believe it is imparitive that we fix this issue quickly.

As many of you know, the Capitol is closed for renovations, above is the temporary Senate Chamber in the Minnesota Senate Building