The Minnesota House of Representatives adjourned just before midnight, on May 15, 2015 and the Senate a few minutes later. But major items of legislation were left hanging, including a $107 million bonding bill, after time ran out in which to clean up differences separating the two bodies.
As the session ended, there was a question of whether or not Governor Mark Dayton would veto the education bill—one of the two largest appropriations bills in the state budget. All of the parties knew if the governor vetoed the bill, it would result in a special session. The timing of such a session remains unclear.
Governor Dayton did issue a veto and sent the following letter to Speaker of the House Kurt Daudt:
Dear Mr. Speaker:
I have vetoed and am returning to you Chapter 72, House File 844, a bill related to education finance.
As I have said before, the bill’s total investment of $400 million is insufficient given the state’s large surplus. In 2013, with a projected budget deficit of $627 million, the spending increase above the base of E-12 education was $606 million. It is astonishing that with a $1.9 billion surplus, and more than $1 billion left on the bottom for future tax cuts, there would be less invested in our schools this year.
And it is incomprehensible that estate tax cuts for millionaires and property tax relief for large corporations are higher priorities for your House Republican Caucus than investing adequately in our students and young children.
This bill omits the following funding, which I specified in my May 15 email to you and Senator [Tom] Bakk. . No funding for eliminating the waiting list of 2,500 low-income children for Head Start. . No funding for the Northside Achievement Zone and St. Paul Promise Neighborhood. . No funding for Bureau of Indian Education schools and only meager funding for American Indian students. . No funding for Special Education. . No funding for English Learning programs. . No funding for free breakfasts for prekindergarten and first graders. . No funding for Regional Centers which help our most struggling schools improve.
Also unacceptable is the absence of any version of voluntary, universal prekindergarten which will help 47,000 4-year-olds, which has been my number one priority in this session. Despite my willingness to move from fullday to half-day prekindergarten, and despite my urging that we take a comprehensive approach to educating young children, your bill neglects the opportunity to make transformational changes for our 4-year-olds.
Throughout this session, I have heard passionate rhetoric from your members about the urgent need to close the achievement gap. This bill belies that rhetoric, and instead choose to shortchange our youngest students for future tax cuts.
Therefore, I am vetoing this bill.
Mark Dayton
Governor
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