2007 Legislative Session - Final Report

Capitol Hill Associates
525 Park Street, Suite 310
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55103
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August 23, 2007

To: MLA Members

From: Elaine Keefe

Re: Legislative Report

The 2007 legislative session yielded some very positive results for libraries in Minnesota. We received significant funding increases in programs that had been under funded for a long time. The Legislature enacted a new state budget covering the period from July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2009. Some of the funding increases listed below are phased in over two years.

Here are the details of legislative action on library issues:

Regional Library Basic System Support (RLBSS): The MLA/MEMO platform requested an increase of $5 million per year – from $8.57 million to $13.57 million. The Legislature increased RLBSS in two stages – to $9.25 million the first year and to $13.57 million the second year. This is a permanent increase.

Regional Library Telecommunication Aid (RLTA): The MLA/MEMO platform requested an increase of $1.1 million per year – from $1.2 million to $2.3 million per year. The Legislature appropriated the full amount that we requested. This is a permanent increase.

Telecommunications/Internet Equity Aid (TIE) for schools: The MLA/MEMO platform requested an increase of $5 million per year, from $3.75 million to $8.75 million per year. The Legislature appropriated most of the amount we requested. The appropriation will go to $7,622,000 in the first year and to $8,743,000 in the second year. This is one-time money. The base amount will revert back to $3.75 million per year in the next biennium (beginning July 1, 2009).

Multi-type Funding: The MLA/MEMO platform requested an increase of $397,000 per year -- from $903,000 to $1.3 million. The Legislature appropriated the full amount that we requested. This is a permanent increase.

Minitex: The MLA/MEMO platform requested an increase of $1.7 million per year, from $4,381,000 to $6,081,000 per year. The Legislature appropriated an increase of $1.25 million per year. This is a permanent increase.

Ready 4 K Initiative: MLA worked with the early childhood organization Ready 4 K to support a bill to provide grants to promote early literacy, with a focus on training family friend and neighbor child care providers. Eligible uses for the grants include purchasing Readmobiles, books and other materials to foster early literacy, and early literacy activities held in public libraries. The Legislature appropriated $375,000 in the first year and $375,000 in the second year for this program. This is one-time money.

School Technology Funding: The MLA/MEMO platform called for allowing school boards to levy up to $200 per pupil without a referendum in order to fund technology and school library media programs. Due to concern among legislators about rising property taxes, we soon shifted our strategy and instead asked for direct state aid. In the end, the Legislature appropriated a total of $91 million over the next two years to schools in total operating capital.

The permitted uses of this money are quite broad, but include both technology and school media materials. Specific decisions will be made at the local level. Schools will receive $40 per pupil in the first year and $55 per pupil in the second year.

Mandating Access to a Library Media Specialist: The MLA/MEMO platform called for mandating that every student have access to the services of a licensed school media specialist. Legislators were reluctant to support another mandate for schools, and it wasn’t until Library Legislative Day in March that we found legislators who were willing to introduce this bill. Because committee deadlines came so early this year, the bill will be introduced in 2008. This is expected to be a multi-year effort.

Information and Technology Literacy Assessments: Under legislation passed in 2006 information and technology literacy standards will be embedded in the state’s academic content standards as each academic content standard is revised. The MLA/MEMO platform asked that information and technology literacy also be included in statewide assessments. MEMO members and I have met with high-level MDE officials twice in order to discuss this issue. The discussions have been very positive, and MDE is supportive of our position. As each academic content standard is revised, information and technology literacy will be embedded in the standard, and then the assessment will be revised to reflect the new standard. Unfortunately, this is a lengthy process. The academic content standards will be revised over a six-year cycle. Once each standard is revised, it takes four years to develop a new assessment to reflect the revised standard. Under that timeline, it will be ten years before information and technology literacy items are included in each of the statewide assessments.

In addition to the items on the MLA/MEMO platform, the Legislature considered a number of other items relevant to libraries:

Merger of Hennepin County and Minneapolis Public Libraries: Legislation permitting the merger passed. A one-time $4.5 million grant to help with costs of the merger was line item vetoed by Governor Pawlenty.

Exemption from MOE for Stadium Revenue: The Twins stadium bill that passed in 2006 provided that if the proceeds from the sales tax to fund the stadium exceeded the amount needed to pay the debt service on the bonds in any given year, up to $2 million of the excess could be used to extend hours of operation for the Hennepin County and Minneapolis public libraries. This revenue was exempted from library maintenance of effort.

General Education Formula: The general education formula was increased by 2% in the first year and 1% in the second year. This is the funding stream that schools use to pay for library media programs.

Aid to Cities and Counties: The Legislature provided increases in both local government aid, which goes to cities, and in county program aid. However, these aids are funded in the omnibus tax bill. The Governor vetoed the omnibus tax bill, so the increases will not take effect. This will undoubtedly be an issue in the 2008 legislative session.

Scott County Library: Legislation was passed making the Scott County Library Board advisory to the County Board. Identical legislation was previously passed for Washington and Hennepin Counties.