Volume 2, Number 6

Greetings, First and foremost, thank you for all of your phone calls, emails, and visits to our office at the Capitol. It is wonderful to represent such an engaged and active community! With tight committee deadlines it has been critical to hear from you and learn where our district stands on the issues that come before us on a daily basis. I am also thankful to work with many constituents on bills moving forward, like the bullion coin tax exemption bill (S.F. 2008), the Edina Veterans Memorial (S.F. 167), the YWCA bonding request (S.F. 2141) and the Edina tax increment finance (TIF) extension request (S.F. 2341). As you may know, the 2014 Legislative Session began a little over a month ago with the good news of a $1.2 billion budget surplus. Late last week the Senate adopted a tax bill that spent around half of the surplus on tax relief for thousands of Minnesota families and businesses. Many of this years filers may be eligible for tax breaks and those taxpayers who have already filed will be contacted by the Department of Revenue if they are eligible for an additional refund. Whats more, is that beginning in 2014 even more tax relief will go into effect. Minnesotas economy is growing and in response we have made some fiscally responsible decisions by including a significant investment in the states budget reserve, which will help the state weather future ups and downs in the economy. Lastly, this week marks the end of our second deadline which requires that all policy changes must pass out of committee. In the coming weeks, legislative action will shift to floor debates as the Senate votes on a wide range of issues. As always, please feel free to contact my office regarding legislative matters that important to you. Sincerely,

March 28, 2014 Connect with Me

Facebook www.facebook.com/ MelisaLFranzen Twitter @MelisaFranzen YouTube Melisa Franzen Week in Review

Photo of the Week

Senator Franzen testifying in support of the Edina TIF extension in the Senate Tax Committee, accompanied by Bill Neuendorf: Edinas new Economic Development Manager.

Around the District

Congratulations to Kennedy High Schools girls basketball team! The Eagles took 2nd place in the Class AAAA state tournament on Saturday, March 22. Seniors Kenisha Bell and Tonoia Wade and sophomore Lashayla Wright-Ponder were named to the Class AAAA AllTournament Team. Great work! The Eden Prairie Lions Club is generously offering scholarships to graduating seniors who live in Eden Prairie. Eight scholarships of $1,000 each will be awarded to academically outstanding and service-oriented students. Applications are due April 7. For more information, contact Schell at 952-944-3722 or gjschell803@comcast.net. Sen. Al Franken will again hold the Childrens Military Poetry Contest. The 3rd annual event recognizes Minnesotans who have served in the military. During April, which is Military Child and National Poetry Month. The competition is for Minnesota children, grades K-12, who have family members have served in the military. Eden Prairie High School senior Jacob Young has been chosen as a state finalist for the 2014 Triple A award. This award recognizes seniors from around the state who excel in academics, athletics, and the arts. Jacob has been successful on his schools cross country team along with being active on the swim and track teams, several band ensembles, National Honor Society, and is an Eagle Scout. Congratulations to this outstanding member of our community!

Around the Capitol

Why 5% - The Importance of Full Increase
The 5% Campaign has been working to secure a 5% rate increase for home and community based care givers. This group represents 91,000 workers across the state. Recently, the House and Governor announced 4% increases in their respective budgets for the 5% Campaign. In response, a group of Senators have launched a Why 5% campaign to explain why the full increase is necessary. The main argument for Why 5% is that consistent staff with low turnover is the foundation for quality care. By giving home- and community- based care givers a 5% rate increase, service providers will be able to better retain staff, reduce turnover and maintain consistent high quality care. The only way this group of workers receives a pay increase is if the legislature allocates it to them. These care givers have gone six years without a rate increase and have faced almost a decade of budget cuts. The industry argues that these cuts and stagnating wages have directly inhibited their ability to recruit and retain employees. The HHS committee will be releasing its final funding bill to the Finance Committee on Monday, March 31. (S.F. 1993)

Tweet of the Week

Love it! womenwinning.org/blog/winnersn @womenwinning

Education Finance First Budget Bill Passed

Highlight on Early Childhood Scholarships

The first budget bill to pass was the Senate Education Finance bill. The legislation invests in early learning efforts to prepare every student for kindergarten, K-12 academic achievement and student health and safety. I am happy to report that the early education component includes my bill to fund Early Learning Scholarships ($12m), the Early Childhood Family Education Program and School Readiness Aid. The legislation works towards preparing our youngest learners for kindergarten. The bill is dedicated to providing these needed programs to as many students as we can in an attempt to close the achievement gap. In addition, the legislation makes investments that focus on K-12 academic achievement. Highlights include: the Reading Corps, the English Language Learner Program and the Promise Neighborhood Program. Minnesota Reading Corps provides preschool literacy tutors that work with preschool-aged children in their classrooms to create literacy-rich environments. The program has a proven track record this investment should have a positive impact on a lot of students.

Bulk Data Transfers Bill Advances

This legislation would compel the Commissioner of Public Safety to disclose bulk data (upon request) on vehicle registration and drivers license/Minnesota ID in accordance with federal law. The bills intent is to find a balance between data privacy and industry needs. The legislation is a response to a 2013 internal policy change by Driver and Vehicle Services, where the sale of bulk drivers license and motor vehicle data became prohibited after decades of providing the information to businesses. According to the department, the policy change was enacted for data security reasons. However, proponents believe the policy change has been harmful for businesses who use the data. For example, insurance providers use bulk data to supply quotes for car insurance; auto dealers use it for manufacturer recalls; and the media use it for public record searches. This has created an issue within these industries. The former bulk data rate of pennies per record are now $5 per record, a vast increase for businesses who utilize the information for customer benefit. The bill moved, as amended, to Judiciary. (S.F. 2425)