2014 End of Session Report

AGRICULTURE

Farm to Food Shelf
o Provides a $2 million grant to Second Harvest Heartland to compensate
agricultural producers and processors for costs incurred to harvest and package
surplus fruits and vegetables and transfer them to food shelves
o Requires a report on the use and effectiveness of the grant


Dog and Cat Breeders Commercial Licensure
o An issue that has been debated for several years now finally got passed this year.
It requires dog and cat breeders in the state to be licensed, creates standards for
receiving and losing a license. It also implements inspections of commercial
facilities and standards of care for animals
o Creates a process for enforcing the above requirements through the Board of
Animal Health

CAPITAL INVESTMENT

Highlights 1.65 billion in investments
o $240 million in higher education projects for the University of Minnesota and
MnSCU
o $126 million for completion of the State Capitol renovation
o More than $100 million for roads, bridges and vital transportation infrastructure
o $100 million for housing
o $448 million to economic development projects and programs
o Transportation investments
$54 million to local road improvements
$34 million to the local bridge replacement program
$67 million to the Public Facilities Authority to fund clean water and
wastewater infrastructure projects
o St. Davids Center:
$3.75 million
Link to Final Bonding Spreadsheet

COMMERECE

Propane Shortage
o Provided an additional $20 million from the Low Income Home Energy Program
(LIHEAP) program for emergency heating assistance to low-income Minnesotans
o Signed into law in the first few weeks of Session.



Cell Phones
o Required cell phones sold in Minnesota to have kill switch technology by 2015
o Also required retailers and kiosks who buy used smartphones to keep a record of
the sellers and limits payouts to electronic transfer or check, not cash

Insurance Fraud
o Enables the Department of Commerce to conduct investigations into insurance
fraud, flag suspected bad providers and work with the appropriate licensing
authority to levy civil penalties against entities engaging in fraud if they are
convicted
o Restrictions on the use of repackaged drugs by limiting the maximum price that
can be charged for repackaged prescription drugs and creates a task force to
evaluate approaches in verifying insurance coverage

School District Insurance Changes
o Requires school districts to receive three bids from insurance providers for their
health insurance plans
Self-insured districts are exempt from having to receive a PEIP bid

Omnibus Liquor Bill
o Authorizes Hennepin County bar closing to be extended to 4 a.m. to
accommodate the Major League Baseball All-Star Game
o Allows TCF Bank Stadium to continue to sell alcohol

E-12 EDUCATION

Omnibus Education Finance Bill
o $54 million investment
o Split between K-12 Formula increase and Early Ed investments
$23.4 million increase to the Basic Funding Formula
Provides $25 more per student
$11 million in early education
$4.65 million for Early Learning Scholarships
$1.8 million for School Readiness Aid
$4.65 million for the Early Childhood Family Education Program

Safe and Supportive Schools Act
o Implements state-wide policies to address the issue of bullying in our schools
o Mandates reporting and mediation sessions

PSEO
o Allows post secondary institutions to advertise cost-savings in PSEO programs
Before they could only advertise based on educational or programmatic
grounds
Exempts schools with less than 700 students from this new authority


Omnibus E12 Education Policy
o Minnesota Teacher Licensure Exam (MTLE)
Made reforms to the required teacher licensure exam
Will be required either to take and pass the MTLE or attain an equivalent
score on the SAT or ACT Plus Writing Test
Exempts non-native English speakers who met content and pedagogy
requirements who provide direct instruction in their native language
(immersion) or world language instruction
o Teacher Evaluation and Development
Align the two state policies that contain educator evaluation programs:
Teacher Development and Evaluation (TDE) and QComp
School districts will be required to develop a teacher evaluation and peer-
review process for probationary and continuing contract teachers
$10 million for training of evaluators, peer reviewers and teachers
o Charter Schools
Authorizer requirements and allowing charters to provide free preschool
or pre-kindergarten classes if they are aligned with early learning
standards

ELECTIONS

E-Pollbooks
o Allows any municipality to use Electronic Rosters when administering elections
o Sets strict guidelines for the technology requirements
o Asks the Secretary of State to do a study of the use of the technology for the 2014
General Election

Online Voter Registration
o Authorize online registration and absentee ballot applications
Validates web-based registrations

ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY

Bees
o Protecting bee colonies
Defines pollinator lethal insecticide as an insecticide absorbed by a plant
that makes the plant lethal to pollinators
Mandates that a plant with a detectable level of such an insecticide cannot
be labeled beneficial to pollinators
Recycling
o Owners of commercial buildings in the metro area who have solid waste contracts
for four or more cubic feet per week will need to collect at least three types of
recycling materials, beginning January 1, 2016
o State agencies must recycle at least 60% of their solid waste
o Sharps (Ex. Needles) are banned from recyclable materials

Wolf Management
o Requires DNR to do an accurate count of the wolf deaths

Hollydale
o Reenacted last Sessions Hollydale Transmission Line legislation

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Health and Humans Services Omnibus Finance Bill
o $1 million per year of additional funding for the Homeless Youth Act
o $1.5 million in additional funding for the implementation of the Safe Harbor law
o Health Care Access Funddeficit reduced to $239 million
o Obesity Study
o Minnesota Sex Offender Program Review
$3 million to pay for review of MSOP (as ordered by a federal judge)

E-Cigarette Regulation
o Prohibits use of E-cigs in State-owned buildings and Hospitals
o Also allows municipalities to create their own restrictions
o E-cigs cannot be sold to minors

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse
o Allows more independence for APRNs
o There was a compromise reached that still requires oversight for certain
procedures

Medicinal Cannabis
o Strictest Medical Cannabis legislation in the country
o Allows use (no smoking) for those suffering from extreme illness:
Ex. Epilepsy, Cancer, Crohns, Glaucoma, AIDS etc.

5% Campaign
o Wage increase for Home and Community Based Service Workers

Autism Funding
o Received nearly $7 million in funding
Establishes an interagency website with resource information
Provides grants to families in need of respite care
Establishes a training program to educate providers in appropriate
practices





HIGHER EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Refinancing Student Loans
o Asks the Office of Higher Education to look into how they can use the States
interest rates to re-finance student loans

Study Abroad Changes
o First law in the country to require reporting on deaths, accidents and illnesses by
Study Abroad programs offered in Minnesota

Credit Transfers at MnSCU
o Requires MnSCU to ensure that students who graduate from a two year College
can seamlessly transfer their credits to a 4-year and stay on track to graduate

Veterans to Receive Resident Tuition
o Sets up in-state tuition for Veterans from anywhere in the country

School Reciprocity (SARA)
o Important reciprocity agreement for distance learning

Research Facilities to Release Research Animals for Adoption
o Requires research animals to be allowed to be adopted before they are euthanized

JOBS, LABOR AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Minimum Wage
o Business w/ over $500,000 in Gross Sales
2014 - $8/hour
2015 - $9/hour
2016 - $9.50/hour
o Businesses w/ under $500,000
2014- $6.50/hour
2015 - $7.25/hour
2016 - $7.75/hour
o Training wage (first 90 days for 18-19 yr olds)
$7.75/hour
o Will be indexed to inflation, but can be stopped at the request of the
Commissioner of DOLI

Broadband
o $20 million in grants to develop Border-to-Border broadband





Workforce Accountability
o Requires outcome reporting for all programs that are funded by the Department of
Employment and Economic Development
o Also requires a return on investment analysis to be conducted

PIPELINE Project Bill (Private Investment Public Education Labor Industry
Experience)
o Sets forth a structure and a process for designing competency standards in four
high growth industries: Information Technology, Health Care Services, Advanced
Manufacturing and Agriculture.
o The PIPELINE Projects will create a template for students to enter these key
industries for Minnesota.
o The Legislation intent envisions Industry would select high school graduates to be
part of their companies and would contribute with financial support for not only
work provided but also tuition reimbursement for the standards based approved
programs.

JUDICIARY
Compensation for Wrongly Accused
o Requires assistance to people who have been wrongly accused
Monetary compensation, housing assistance

Expungement
o Current law allows judges to wipe out the criminal records for certain offenders.
However, state Supreme Court decision ruled that they couldnt expunge data
collected by state agencies.
o This allows for certain offenses to be wiped clean (if deemed appropriate)
o Assists job obtainment and reduces recidivism

STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Womens Economic Security Act
o Implements expanded equal pay reporting by companies that do businesses with
the State.
o Provides workplace protections for pregnant women or women with families
o Provides protections for nursing mothers
o Creates grant program for women in high demand high wage jobs

Constitutional Amendment to Stop Lawmakers from Setting Their Own Pay
o Passed last year, but this year exact ballot language was enacted









TAXES

$550 Million in Tax Cuts to 2 Million Minnesotans
Tax Bill One
o Business-to-Business Tax Repeal
This bill eliminated all three B2B taxes that were implemented last
Session
o Angel Investment Tax Credit
Increased Tax Credit to start-ups engaging in STEM fields
Extended the sunset date
o Gift Tax Repeal
2013 Gift Tax is completely repealed
o Estate Tax Relief
Increased the threshold from $1-$2 million

Tax Bill Two
o One-time 3% increase in Homeowner Property Tax Refunds
o $205 supplement to farmers receiving the Homestead Market Credit
o Aquatic Invasive Species
$4.5 million in 2014 and $10 million every year after that


TRANSPORTATION

Local Road Improvement Fund:
o $54.35 million in cash to improve local roads

Local Bridge Replacement Fund
o $33 million to replace and repair bridges across the state

Safe Routes to School
o $1million toward providing students with improved transit safety if they walk or
bike to school

494 Permanent Lane
o MnDOT committed to a permanent fix for the two-lane traffic on Highway 494.
o It will now cover three lanes in each direction.