Capitol Corner with Sen. John Hoffman Dec/Jan Dear Friends, I hope you and your families have had a happy and safe holiday celebration. I am thankful we bring in a New Year and new legislative session with Minnesota in a much stronger financial position than the previous biennium. We will start the 2015 session with a structurally balanced budget, a $1.037 billion surplus, our debts to public schools paid off, a more fair tax system and money back in reserves to protect the state from future economic challenges. Minnesotas economy is strong again and our special quality of life here is thriving. Locally, our communities received Local Government Aid for the first time in years, the 610 Corridor is being completed, and new businesses have moved to our area bringing well-paying jobs and improving our tax base. The 2014 bonding bill brought much needed capital to development and public safety initiatives. As I look toward the coming biennium I know we must not just look at what has been accomplished, but rather what must be done going forward. The upcoming session will be a budgeting year and the Legislatures primary focus this year. I will work every day to help produce a sound budget that keeps our fiscal house in order, creates good jobs that support families and addresses transportation infrastructure needs with balanced funding for roads, bridges and transit. In education, I will continue to work for early childhood funding and initiatives to close the achievement gap which is essential to our very diverse Anoka-Hennepin and Osseo school districts. My work to bring fairness and equity to the per pupil spending formula will continue as I introduce a new initiative. Minnesota is under a federal court mandate to finally implement the requirements of the Olmstead Act and I will continue to pressure the responsible state agencies to successfully complete this responsibility. The Olmstead Plan gets its name from the 1999 US Supreme Court decision that the state of Georgia was unnecessarily institutionalizing people with intellectual disabilities. In 2011, as part of a settlement agreement in the Jensen et al v. MN Department of Human Services, et al, Minnesota was required to develop a state Olmstead Plan. I will have several initiatives supporting the needs of people with disabilities and older Minnesotans. The most vulnerable in our families and communities must share in our improving state economy and an improved measure of their quality of life should be essential to all Minnesotans. My work as vice chair of the Environment and Energy Committee will include continued efforts to increase renewable energy usage and promote alternatives to traditional fuels. As a member of the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources I will help introduce legislation to fund special environmental, conservation and natural resources projects from the constitutionally-dedicated Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, funded with a percentage of lottery proceeds. It is a privilege to serve the people of Champlin, Brooklyn Park and Coon Rapids in the Minnesota Senate and I thank you for the opportunity. I welcome your input, advice and initiatives as the session gets underway. Working together gives us the best opportunity for good results. Happy New Year! John
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 17:34:34 +0000
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