The 2023 Minnesota Legislature adjourned just before midnight on Monday, having passed so much new legislation that it is being called the most impactful legislative session in half-a-century. With the DFL party in control of the House of Representatives, the Senate and the Governor’s office, bills were passed establishing paid family leave, legalizing marijuana, codifying reproductive rights in the state, making school breakfast and lunch free to all Minnesota K-12 students, and much much more.
Governor Walz signed the various budget bills yesterday. At $72 billion, it will be more than 30% larger than the previous one. Armed with political power and a $17.5 billion budget surplus, Democrats called it a triumphant success, while Republicans said it would make Minnesota a much more expensive place to live. What cannot be debated however, is the sheer amount of change the session has created in the state.
The K-12 education bill added 4% to the basic-per-pupil funding that all school districts in the state receive for 2024, and 2% for 2025. After that, the formula will now be indexed to inflation with a 2% floor and a 3% cap. Northfield Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann called the bill “sweeping,” but stopped short of comparing it to another famous change in education financing.
“I would argue that it’s the most sweeping, holistic set of reforms, probably since the Minnesota Miracle, but we’re not going to go as far as calling this the second Minnesota Miracle because there are things we could have done more of. But I do think it’s the most substantial education session probably since the early 1970s, holistically.”
The $2.6 billion infrastructure bill contains nearly $8.2 million for the Mill Towns Trail, which is something City Administrator Ben Martig has said was the city’s top legislative priority. That bill came together at the last minute, when Republicans and Democrats agreed to raise the amount of aid for the state’s nursing homes by $300 million. Senator Bill Lieske (R-Lonsdale), who finished his first session representing this district, said he was proud his party had stood firm for that money.
“I am proud we held firm and were able to secure funding that these facilities need so badly. It will allow us to save a whole lot of nursing homes from closure and keep them stable for at least the near future.”
Meanwhile, the bill that would have given Nurses more power for scheduling in hospitals across the state, something that was of particular concern to the administration at Northfield Hospital + Clinics, did not pass, and in fact was never put to a floor vote in either house.
Representative Kristi Pursell (D-Northfield), who also finished her first session, said she was proud of many of the policy changes that were passed.
“Expanding and shoring up our democracy. Making sure that people who’ve served their debt to society get to vote. I’m really proud of our agriculture bill that supports generational and beginning farmers. Getting to serve on that committee was a privilege.”
With Monday’s adjournment, the session did indeed come to an end, with few loose ends left. It was only the fifth time in 40 years that a budgeting session in the state did not require a special session to finish the work.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Northfield Superintendent Dr. Matt Hillmann can be heard here
More public art opportunities for local artists
The City of Northfield has announced a pair of public art programs and is making a call to all local artists for submissions and applications.
The popular and successful Artists on Main Street project, a collaboration between the Friends of Downtown Northfield and the city, is back after a one-year hiatus. The program offers grants of up to $5,000 for artists to create and exhibit their work in Downtown Northfield, and is open to painters, sculptors, musicians, dancers, or any other type of artist.
The Friends of Downtown Northfield received a $25,000 grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, and the City of Northfield is contributing an additional $10,000 through the One Percent for the Arts Program.
Assistant City Planner Revee Needham said the program has made some highly recognizable projects possible.
“The program was designed to be more temporary in nature, but some of the projects have lasted. The [painting of the] library steps was an artist on Main Street project. The Selfie Shark was one that I think a lot of people remember. There are different varieties in terms of how long they last.”
Full guidelines on the program and the application are available online. A statement issued by the city said grant announcements will be made sometime in July. Grantees will have until October to carry out their funded projects.
Meanwhile, the Northfield Public Library has made the call to all local artists, especially those of Hispanic or Latinx heritage, to submit a design for street banners that will hang from the Division Street lamp posts during Hispanic Heritage month. Northfield Director of Library Services Natalie Draper said artists of the selected work will receive $1500, and the city could select up to four different designs.
Mayor Rhonda Pownell said both projects are excellent opportunities for local artists to contribute something to the community.
“Taking those public spaces from kind of that blank wall that you would see, we would never put a blank wall in our homes. You would add some sort of color to it, whether that be through paint or through a picture or some sort of sculpture to help the area come to life. Well, these are really opportunities where you can do that right within our public spaces.”
A Public Art Review Committee that will include representatives from the Friends of Downtown Northfield, the city’s Arts and Culture Commission, the Heritage Preservation Commission, the Park and Recreation Advisory Board, downtown business, and youth members will work to select artists for the program.
Draper said anyone with questions should not hesitate to contact either her or Needham
“And if people have any questions at all on anything – ‘Will this idea fly?’ ‘Is this acceptable?’ ‘Can I propose this?’ ‘Does this count?’ Reach out to us. We’re just looking to activate as many spaces downtown as we can with our work this summer. It’s a really exciting thing to see so much color and vibrancy downtown.”
The deadline for submissions for both projects is June 23rd. For more information on Artists on Mainstreet, visit downtownnorthfield.org. For information on the banner contest, visit the city website at northfieldmn.gov.
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
