Ewald at the Capitol - January 29, 2010

Mike Parry Wins Special Election in District 26

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Ewald Government
Relations Team

Feel free to contact any member of our team:

David Ewald
651-290-6276
davide@ewald.com

Valerie Dosland
651-265-7857
valeried@ewald.com

Becca Pryse
651-265-7858
beccap@ewald.com

Bill Amberg
651-203-7251
billa@ewald.com

Eric Ewald
651-290-6266
erice@ewald.com

Nick de Julio
651-290-6286
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John Arlandson
651-203-7252
johna@ewald.com

Key Legislative Contact Info
House Information Office
651-296-2146

Senate Information Office
651-296-0504

State Legislature Website
www.leg.mn

Republican Mike Parry won a special election Tuesday in Senate District 26. Parry beat out DFL-endorsed Jason Engbrecht and Independence Party candidate Roy Srp to keep the Senate seat in GOP control. Parry will now fill the remaining 11 months of former State Senator Dick Day’s term. Day had represented the District in the Senate for 20 years, but recently stepped down to become a lobbyist. Parry is expected to be sworn in as soon as the State Canvassing Board meets to certify the results on February 1.

Mike Parry received 43 percent of the vote to Democrat Jason Engbrecht’s 36.5 percent, and Independent Roy Srp’s 20 percent. Watch for these candidates to make a second run at the office in the fall.

Schools Help with State Cash Flow Problems

They said it:

“I’m feeling really good. The citizens of District 26 who have talked to me and have told me they wanted to control state spending and wanted to make sure that the funds that we are generating are used in the proper way, and that’s been my message,”- State Senator- Elect Mike Parry, discussing his special election win on Tuesday night.

This week, the Minnesota Department of Education announced that school district aid payments will be further delayed to help address the state’s cash flow problem. The Office of Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) is projecting a state cash flow shortage in March, April, and May thus requiring implementation of a never-used state law. This law requires the state to delay school district aid payments before looking to state short-term borrowing. As a result, school districts aid payments will be delayed by $423 million in March, April and May with a repayment expected by May 30, 2010.

While school districts were receiving the notice this week, key legislators at the State Capitol announced they will introduce legislation at the start of session to repeal the statute. It is unlikely Governor Tim Pawlenty would support an outright repeal, but look for proposals from the Administration to amend the statute.

Unallotment Briefs to be Filed

Save the Date

Precinct Caucuses will be held Tuesday, February 2, 2010, starting at 7pm. To find out where your precinct caucus is held, as well as other information about the caucuses please visit the Minnesota Secretary of State website.

Governor Pawlenty has appealed to the State Supreme Court the district court ruling that found one of his unallotment actions violated statute. Briefs to the court have been filed by both sides. This week, the House Rules and Legislative Committee, on a split vote, decided to hire an outside firm to draft an amicus brief supporting the plaintiff’s case. House Republicans who voted against this measure decided to file a brief with the Supreme Court in support of Gov. Pawlenty’s unallotment decisions. Briefs are due by mid-February and oral arguments will be heard in March.

More Bonding Projects

This week, representatives from several bonding projects from across the state came together to make their best pitch for why their project should be included in the 2010 Capital Investment Bonding Bill. Just weeks removed from Gov. Pawlenty’s recommendations on the size of the bonding bill, the House Higher Education and Workforce Development Finance and Policy Division held two full days of testimony on various proposals. While no decisions were made over these two days, members did rank the projects on a scale and then sent their recommendations to the Capital Investment Finance Division.

Here is a list of some notable projects presented to the committee:

$25 million for construction of a 7,500-seat baseball stadium in St. Paul’s Lowertown district.
$22 million for a major expansion of Minnesota Orchestra Hall.
$34 million the expansion of the Mayo Civic Center Complex in Rochester.
$17.5 million to renovate the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul.
$15.9 million for a civic center expansion in Mankato.
$15.1 million for an expansion of the St. Cloud Civic Center.
$12.4 million for an amateur sports complex and athletic facilities expansion in St. Louis County.
$9.75 million for an Asian Pacific Cultural Center in St. Paul.
$6.5 million for capital improvements to the Target Center in Minneapolis.

Possible Foreclosure Relief

With unemployment numbers still high across the state and foreclosures on the rise, State Representative Jeff Hayden (D-Minneapolis) is sponsoring HF 2604. This bill would create a two-year moratorium on mortgage foreclosures, allowing homeowners time to work out a plan to modify their loans. The bill would also protect renters who get caught in the middle of the foreclosure process. This bill appears to have bipartisan support, at least at the moment.

Minnesota Legislature 101

With just one week until the start of session, the Ewald Government Relations team has created our first webinar for you. “Minnesota Legislature 101” is a useful interactive guide that walks you through how the Minnesota Legislature works and how to access additional information about the Legislature.

Watch the webinar.