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Ewald Success Story: Boosting Membership for the First Time in a Decade  

At Ewald Consulting, we know how much your members are valued. We take great care to ensure not only that your members receive the greatest value possible from your organization, but also that they stick around. In the case of The National Amtelco Equipment Owners (NAEO), we were able to help increase membership numbers after a decline attributed to industry consolidation. 

NAEO is an association consisting of Amtelco users and owners — companies that provide teleservices. NAEO’s goal is to share experiences, problems, and solutions that are common to Amtelco users. 

As a long-standing association, NAEO had a stable membership base, but the organization faced a gradual decline in total members in large part due to industry consolidation. With a clear trend of steady membership decline, it was clear that new strategies were necessary. 

Ewald Consulting’s sales team was brought on in 2021. The team analyzed past membership data and reviewed past membership recruitment and retention strategies. Then Ewald Consulting developed a more personalized and proactive membership outreach strategy using our proven 7-stage sales process. 

Within three months, NAEO had successfully changed its membership trajectory. At the conclusion of Ewald Consulting’s personalized membership outreach efforts, NAEO saw an increase in membership for the first time since 2011. 

Reach out to us to learn more about how we can help you retain and grow your membership! 

Budget Bill Week, Budget Targets, and more

Budget Bill Week

With less than a week until the third and final committee deadline, it is budget bill week at the Minnesota legislature. The House and Senate are crafting their omnibus budget bills based around the budget target agreement released last week by Governor Tim Walz, Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic and House Speaker Melissa Hortman. Major appropriations bills must be acted upon in their committees before the deadline on Wednesday. Several committees heard and voted on their omnibus bills this week, though some committees are still in the process of finalizing their bills. Committees that have acted upon their omnibus bills met for the last time this week, while committees with work left to do have until April 4, when the legislature will adjourn for spring break. The legislature will begin to vote on budget bills after they return on April 10.

All committees have heard their omnibus bills except for the tax committee in the House and Senate.  Below is more detailed information on omnibus packages:

Education Finance

  • Increased per student formula funding (House and Senate)
  • Increased funding for special education (House and Senate)
  • New funding to hire student support staff (House and Senate)


Higher Education

  • Increased funding for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities and MNSCU
  • Increased funding for the University of Minnesota
  • Scholarship programs


Children and Families (House Only)

  • Increased funding for early learning scholarships and childcare
  • Funds for emergency shelters
  • Expansion of voluntary prekindergarten


Health and Human Services (Senate Only)

  • $1.3 billion increased funding for FY2023

 

Budget Targets

Gov. Walz, Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic and House Speaker Melissa Hortman have reached an agreement on budget targets. The targets provide details to finance committees on how much money is available to spend in their omnibus budget bills. The budget targets provide the rough outline — but it is up to committee chairs to finalize details of how to spend their slice of the budget.

The agreement will use all the $17.5 billion surplus in the biennial budget. Here is a breakdown of the larger components of the budget framework $3 billion in tax cuts:

  • $2.3 billion for infrastructure projects
  • $2.2 billion for K-12 education and pre-kindergarten
  • $2.2 billion for one capita/infrastructure projects
  • $1.178 billion for children and families
  • $1 billion for housing
  • $650 million for public safety
  • $255 million for energy and climate
  • $100 million for broadband expansion


The full budget agreement can be found here.

 

GOP’s Budget Pitch

Following the global budget agreement released by DFL leadership, Senate Republicans pitched their own proposal. Though the House passed the DFL’S two infrastructure bonding bills with bipartisan support, the bills failed to pass the Senate with the supermajority required for bonding. Senate Republicans instead are hoping to use the bonding bills as a bargaining chip to pass their compromise offer.

In exchange for the passage of the DFL’s bonding package, they want:

  1. An omnibus tax bill that includes full elimination of income tax on social security, and no tax increases.
  1. An omnibus health and human services bill that addresses problems with long term care and nursing facilities
  1. Omnibus agriculture bill increasing spending by $80 million in FY2024-2025 and $80 million in FY2026-2027

Senate DFL leaders have previously stated that they would circumvent the required supermajority by using an all-cash infrastructure bill that would require a simple majority.

 

Dates to Remember

April 4: Third Committee Deadline
April 5-10: Legislative break
April 19: State of the State address
May 22: Last Day of the 2023 Legislative Session

 

Ewald Success Story: Boosting Membership for the First Time in a Decade  

At Ewald Consulting, we know how much your members are valued. We take great care to ensure not only that your members receive the greatest value possible from your organization, but also that they stick around. In the case of The National Amtelco Equipment Owners (NAEO), we were able to help increase membership numbers after a decline attributed to industry consolidation. 

NAEO is an association consisting of Amtelco users and owners — companies that provide teleservices. NAEO’s goal is to share experiences, problems, and solutions that are common to Amtelco users. 

As a long-standing association, NAEO had a stable membership base, but the organization faced a gradual decline in total members in large part due to industry consolidation. With a clear trend of steady membership decline, it was clear that new strategies were necessary. 

Ewald Consulting’s sales team was brought on in 2021. The team analyzed past membership data and reviewed past membership recruitment and retention strategies. Then Ewald Consulting developed a more personalized and proactive membership outreach strategy using our proven 7-stage sales process. 

Within three months, NAEO had successfully changed its membership trajectory. At the conclusion of Ewald Consulting’s personalized membership outreach efforts, NAEO saw an increase in membership for the first time since 2011. 

Reach out to us to learn more about how we can help you retain and grow your membership! 

State of the State, Disaster Contingency AccountState of the State, and more

State of the State

Gov. Tim Walz presented his annual State of the State address on Wednesday evening, the first of his second term. The speech was delivered to a joint session of the legislature, between lengthy floor sessions in both the House and Senate. The 30-minute speech reflected on bills that had already made their way to his desk including federal tax conformity, universal school meals, unemployment benefits for the iron ore industry, establishing Juneteenth as a state holiday, and the commitment to carbon-free energy by 2040. Walz also touched on priorities he hopes will be included in the next two-year budget, including paid family and medical leave, “Walz Checks,” gun safety measures, a child tax credit, tying education funding to inflation, and establishing a department of children and families.

 

Disaster Contingency Account

On Monday, Gov. Walz signed into law a bill to replenish the state’s disaster contingency account with $40 million. The account was created in 2014 to provide funding for disaster relief without the need for legislative action, allowing the state to provide aid more quickly in times of urgent need. The funding will be necessary as flooding concerns rise along the Mississippi, St. Croix and other rivers in Minnesota.

 

Omnibus Bills Update

Several Omnibus budget bills have made their way to the House or Senate floor after being heard by either the House Ways and Means Committee or the Senate Finance Committee. After these bills are heard by both bodies, conference committees must be appointed for differences to get sorted out. Omnibus bills have been heard by the House and Senate every day this week; here is more information about the massive budget bills that are being passed.

Bills passed by the Senate

  • HF1830 – Omnibus State Government and Elections
  • HF1937 – Omnibus Military and Veteran Affairs
  • HF1999 – Omnibus Legacy
  • HF2073 – Omnibus Higher Education
  • HF2310 – Omnibus Environment and Climate
  • SF2744 – Omnibus Commerce
  • SF2909 – Omnibus Judiciary and Public Safety
  • SF2934 – Omnibus Human Services
  • SF2995 – Omnibus Health and Human Services
  • SF3035 – Omnibus Jobs, Economic Development, Labor, and Industry


Bills passed by the House

  • HF238 – Omnibus Child Care
  • HF917 – Omnibus Housing Policy
  • HF1830 – Omnibus State Government and Elections Finance
  • HF1937 – Omnibus Veterans and Military Affairs
  • SF1955 – Omnibus Agriculture, Broadband and Rural Development
  • HF1999 – Omnibus Legacy Finance
  • HF2075 – Omnibus Higher Education
  • HF2292 – Omnibus Early Education Bill
  • HF2310 – Omnibus Environment, Climate and Energy
  • HF2497 – Omnibus Education Finance
  • HF2887 – Omnibus Transportation

 

Conference Committees

So far, the Omnibus Legacy Bills and the Omnibus Higher Education Bills are the only bills that have been referred to conference committees, but the other omnibus budget bills will also be referred to conference committee once they pass out of both bodies. The House and Senate must pass identical versions of these bills off to Gov. Walz before they can become law.

Dates to Remember

May 22: Last Day of the 2023 Legislative Session

Second Committee Deadline, Legislators Losing Party Endorsement, and more

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Second Committee Deadline
Last Friday, this Friday and next Friday mark the first, second and third committee deadlines for the Minnesota legislature. Today, committees must act favorably on bills, or companions of bills that met the first deadline in the other body. Expect a flurry of budget activity in the House next week before the third committee deadline next Friday, where committees must act favorably on major appropriation and finance bills. Gov. Walz hosted another negotiation session on Monday with leaders from the House and Senate, but they have yet to reach a deal on front-line worker bonuses or unemployment insurance.

Legislators Losing Party Endorsement
So far, four sitting legislators in the Minnesota House and Senate have lost their party endorsement for re-election. Rep. Tony Jurgens (R – Cottage Grove) lost GOP endorsement to Tom Dippel for Senate District 4. Rep. Jurgens has yet to confirm whether he is suspending his re-election campaign. Sen. Eric Pratt (R – Prior Lake) lost GOP endorsement to first-time candidate Natalie Barnes in SD 54. Sen. Pratt has yet to confirm whether he is suspending his re-election campaign. Sen. Jason Isaacson (D – Shoreview) lost DFL endorsement to fellow Sen. John Marty (D – Roseville) in SD 40. Sen. Isaacson confirmed he is now suspending his re-election campaign. Rep. John Thompson (DFL – St. Paul) lost DFL endorsement to first-time candidate Liz Lee. Some may choose to run in a primary election later this summer, but they face a difficult road if they do. Losing party endorsement means losing resources and cash for primary campaigns and those who lose their endorsement often lose their primary elections.

Read more: Russia-Belarus Divestment Passes Senate & House Unanimously, Reinsurance Extended, and more.

Session Week Seven, Unemployment Trust Fund Deadline Passes, and more

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Session Week Seven
There’s been a steady uptick of committee meetings this week in preparation for the first committee deadline. A total of 118 committee hearings were held this week in the House and Senate, up from 108 the week before, and from 93 two weeks ago. The deadline (on Friday, March 25) is when committees must act favorably on bills in their house of origin. This week, the House introduced 199 bills and the Senate introduced 120 bills. To speed along the process, the Senate held another “pushing paper” Wednesday floor session to process bills for their next committee referral.


Unemployment Trust Fund Deadline Passes
Back in February, the Senate passed SF 2677, the legislation proposing to repay the federal government and replenish the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund. The bill would appropriate $2.7 billion to refill the fund, which had been drained from the high volume of unemployment claims during the pandemic. The deadline to replenish the fund before businesses see an increase in unemployment related payroll taxes was Tuesday, March 15. The House DFL was only willing to replenish the fund under the condition of expanded frontline worker pay. The Senate has yet to pass legislation for expanded COVID worker pay, so no agreement was reached.

Read more: ALS Research Bill Moves through the House, Russia Divestment Efforts Introduced in House and Senate and more

Session Week Six, Bill to Allow Sports Betting Advances and more

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Session Week Six
This week the legislature focused on ongoing committee work as legislators race to get their bills heard before the first committee deadline (March 25). The House and Senate held 102 committee meetings, up from 88 last week; a total of 414 bills have been introduced in the legislature. In addition to Monday and Thursday floor sessions, the Senate held an additional floor session on Wednesday to process bills to be referred to their next committee.
 
Bill to Allow Sports Betting Advances
Rep. Zack Stephenson (DFL–Coon Rapids) and Rep. Pat Garafalo (R–Farmington) are spearheading a bipartisan effort in the House to legalize sports gambling. HF 778 would make sports betting safer via regulation and would channel tax revenue to address problem gambling and youth sports. If passed, legal sports betting could take place at Native American casinos and through mobile applications operated by the tribes. The bill is supported by the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association, which represents 10 different tribal nations across the state. Tuesday, the bill was heard by the House Commerce Committee and was re-referred to the State Government Finance and Elections Committee by a vote of 14-4.


Governor Urges Divestment from Russian Entities
This morning marked the 16th day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Gov. Tim Walz has responded to the invasion by encouraging the legislature to pass a bill “to direct the State Board of Investment to withdraw investments in Russian businesses and institutions”. This request, sent Monday, comes after his executive order last week to prevent state agencies from contracting with Russian entities.

A bipartisan coalition of the House and Senate have also introduced legislation to divest Minnesota’s state pension fund from Russia and codify Gov. Walz’s Executive Order.

Read more: Governor Signs Three Bills into Law, ALS Research Funds Pass the Senate and more

Front-line Worker Bonuses, Gov. Walz’s Proposed Budget and More

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Front-Line Worker Bonuses

This session, the Minnesota House, Senate and governor’s office are all hoping to provide bonuses to front-line workers affected by the pandemic. Last year, front-line worker bonuses were stalled by disagreements among the working group in charge of distributing the funds. This year, disagreements over the scope of the bonuses continue. Senate Republicans are pushing for the original appropriation of $250 million that would focus primarily on bonuses for health care workers. House Democrats and Gov. Tim Walz want to expand bonuses to childcare, health care, school, grocery store, food service, transportation, long-term care, disability services, building service, public safety, retail and manufacturing workers. The expanded proposal would increase the price to $1 billion.

Gov. Walz’s Proposed Budget

Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan finished rolling out their budget plans last week. The total plan will use $7.6 billion from Minnesota’s general fund and $1 billion from other sources, including federal pandemic relief funds.

The budget items are organized under the umbrellas of health and safety, children and families, and economic opportunity.

Health and Safety

  • $300 million over three years to cities, counties, and tribes across the state to meet local public safety needs. An average city would get $240,000.
  • Recommend funding for safe and responsible legalization of cannabis for adult use in Minnesota. A new Cannabis Management Office would be responsible for regulation.
  • Stabilize affordable housing: $100 million to preserve and improve “Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing.”
  • $40 million in funding for the Minnesota Department of Veteran Affairs. These service bonuses would go to post-9/11 veterans who have been historically excluded from service bonuses.


Family and Childcare

  • Expanding pre-kindergarten for 23,000 children (combination of school-based programs, Head Start, childcare centers and family child care programs).
  • Support for childcare providers, including stabilization grants of over $90 million.
  • Adding 2% to the general education formula and additional funding for special education to stabilize funding.
  • Proposals to address teacher and staff shortages in public schools.
  • $77 million over the next three years to hire counselors, social workers, school psychologists, nurses, and chemical dependency specialists in schools across the state.


Economic Opportunity

  • “Walz Checks”: Deliver $700 million in direct payments to more than 2.7 million Minnesota households. Single tax filers earning up to $164,400 receive $175. Married couples jointly earning $273,470 would receive $350.
  • $115 million for the caregiving sector. Providing incentive payments, tuition reimbursement, and childcare grants to increase retention in the industry.
  • $2.73 billion to replenish the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund.
  • $170 million to expand broadband access.

Read more: Where Party Leaders Stand on Key Issues, Dates to Remember and more

New Laws, Census Data, and more

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New Laws

Bills that do not contain an appropriation or have a specified date of enactment are effective Aug. 1 of each year. Some of the newest laws in Minnesota include:

  • SF395: Minnesota law agencies can now enforce protection orders that were issued in Canada.
  • HF652: Life insurers can no longer discriminate against people with a prescription for an opiate antagonist.

Read more: New Laws, Census Data, Frontline Worker Pay Working Group, and Washington Wildfire Response

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