8.1. SR 05-12-2003 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Xay 05 Z083 14:20:48 ~ia Fax -> 7634417425 Administrator Page 082 0£ 804 for a University of Minnesota/Mayo Clinic partnership grant. It also pumps additional resources into Roseau for flood recovery and extends the Petrofund program through 2007. FridayF - aX- A weekly legislative update from the League of Minnesota Cities May 5, 2003 Page 2 to the Office of the State Auditor (OSA), and a proposal transferring best practice reviews from the legislative auditor to the state auditor. The Senate appropriates over $426 million for economic development purposes, $356 million from the general fund. The Senate bill cuts more from contaminated site clean-up grants and the Minnesota Investment fund, and converts the investment fund to a revolving loan program. However, the bill includes additional funds for grants to various workforce development organizations and creates a new job training grant program. The Senate proposal does not merge the departments of Trade & Economic Development (DTED) and Economic Security. The House and Senate both provide more funding for housing programs than the governor recommended. Both proposals also increase the amount that can be spent from the petroleum tank release fund to administer the contamination clean-up program; change the operation of the rural challenge grant program; and add job enhancement as a goal for various DTED programs. The House bill also includes a couple of miscellaneous provisions that would cap fees cities could impose on vendors selling consumer fireworks, and pre-empt cities' ability to set fines and penalties for businesses that sell tobacco to minors. Omnlbas State Government Finance The House passed a $474 million omnibus state government finance bill after over ten hours of debate on Thursday, while the Senate spends $557 million on these programs. The House bill contains many policy provisions, including language transferring compensation limit waiver requests and local government pay equity compliance from the Dept. of Employee Relations The proposal would allow the state auditor to charge fees to cover the costs associated with evaluating compensation limit waiver requests from local units of government and administering pay equity compliance. It includes a hiatus from pay equity reporting requirements in 2003 and 2004, and changes the length of the pay equity reporting cycle from every three years to every five years beginning in 2005. Under the House bill, responsibility for conducting best practices reviews is transferred to the OSA beginning in 2004. The bill requires the state auditor to consult with various organizations representing local governments, but it does not appear to continue the Best Practices Advisory Council. These provisions are also traveling in a separate bill--HF 1082 (Samuelson)/SF 919 (Robling)--proposed by the OSA. The Senate did not transfer responsibility for pay equity compliance and compensation limit waivers in its version of the omnibus state government budget bill. However, the Senate State Government Budget Division did pass SF 919 (Robling, R- Jordan), which includes the provisions transferring the best practice review program to the state auditor. Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture The House bill provides $411 million for natural resources and agriculture programs, while the Senate version appropriates $451 million for these purposes. The House plan increases state park fees and cuts a third of the funding for state ethanol subsidies, paying producers 13 cents a gallon until 2008 when the payments would increase back to the 20-cent level. The Senate proposal raises additional revenue by increasing some recreation fees and cuts mote informalion on oily legislalive issues, conlacl any membel of Ihe League of Minnesola Cilies Inlergovernmenlal Relalions learn. 651.281.1200 or 800.925.1122