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STEVENS COUNTY REPUBLICANS 29841 US HWY 59 MORRIS, ,MN. 56267 |
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March 26, 2010
2010 LEGISLATIVE WEEK 7 IN REVIEW
Dear Friends:
As lawmakers head into the Easter/Passover break, we have passed the mid-way point of the 2010 Legislative Session. Here is an update of the legislative action at the Capitol this week.
BUDGET The Senate passed a partial budget bill Monday with some cost-cutting but without real reform. Unfortunately, the cuts failed to prioritize any particular area of the budget and made cuts across the board. I was particularly concerned with the harsh cuts to the public safety. One of government’s primary roles is to keep its citizens safe, and we should not play political games or fail to prioritize it.
The proposed cuts by the Democrats to the public safety budget were nearly $39.2 million, which is more than twice what the Governor proposed. It should be noted that I do not agree with the Governor on his proposed cuts to this budget either.
I offered several amendments to restore funding to the Fire Safety Account which was nearly tapped out to fill other areas of the budget. This account allows our firefighters from across the state, particularly those in rural areas, to receive grants for training. The amendments were defeated. I will continue to fight for this program and try to restore funding.
Fortunately, we were able to prevent any cuts to the Sentence to Serve (STS) program in the Senate version of the public safety budget bill. I am a strong supporter of this program. STS allows citizens who have committed a crime to work on community projects instead of sitting in jail. However, the Governor and the House have proposed cuts to it. I will update you with more information about this program as the budgetary process progresses.
Sadly, at the mid-way point of the legislative session, the majority is revealing that it has no real budget plan and is pushing through this partial budget now in order to box-in the governor and the Legislature later with K-12 cuts or tax increases. This piecemeal approach ignores a comprehensive solution to this year’s billion-dollar deficit and, like the earlier passage of the $1 billion bonding bill, shows a complete lack of sensible priorities.
HEALTH CARE I have signed on to a letter urging our state Attorney General, Lori Swanson, to file a lawsuit against the federal health care bill that was passed Sunday in Washington D.C. I believe that mandates in the bill are unconstitutional and abuse of power by the federal government. All 68 Republican legislators (47 House & 21 Senate) signed on to this letter.
The bill forces U.S. residents to buy health insurance and imposes an unconstitutional tax on individuals who do not comply with the mandate. Other problems with the legislation include the elimination of an individual’s right to choose private health care plans, a questionable funding mechanism for a new entitlement called the CLASS Act, and overall long-term funding and national deficit questions.
ENERGY Again this week, lawmakers were denied the opportunity to vote on lifting the state’s 16-year ban on new nuclear power plants, an issue that has become increasingly popular with Americans seeking clean, inexpensive energy. The measure was offered as an amendment to an energy bill in the full Senate, but no vote was taken after the original bill’s author pulled it from consideration. A few weeks ago, a bill that would have lifted the ban was effectively gutted by a few unsupportive members of a Senate energy committee.
EMINENT DOMAIN LAW The Senate narrowly defeated a bill which would have made it easier for cities to take properties from owners through eminent domain by easing the definitions for abandoned properties. SF 1659 loosely defines “abandoned” property, allowing cities to more easily take property for public use. The bill failed on a tie vote.
Thanks for taking the time to read my update, and please feel free to contact me with your questions and comments.
Sincerely,
Bill
State Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen encourages and appreciates constituent input, and can be reached at 651-297-8063, by mail at 123 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155, or via email at sen.bill.ingebrigtsen@senate.mn.
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April 1, 2010
2010 LEGISLATIVE WEEK 8 IN REVIEW
Dear Friends:
Spring is finally upon us and I would like to wish all of you a Happy Easter! As you may know, the Legislature is taking a break until April 6th for the Easter/Passover break. I hope you are able to get a little time off from work as well to spend time with family or friends!
Even though we only had session on Monday this week, we did pass some important legislation. Here is an update of the legislative action at the Capitol this week.
BUDGET BILL “#1” Our first budget bill returned from conference committee after the House and Senate leaders agreed on a compromise. We passed the bill Monday, and Governor Tim Pawlenty has signed it. The bill reduces the deficit with nearly $312.3 million in cuts. I voted against the bill for many reasons. I believe that the deep public safety cuts, raiding of the fire safety fund, reduced funding for Sentencing to Service and cuts to the state’s courts show a clear lack of priorities. These are key functions of government and should be properly funded. Also, county aid and Local Government Aid to rural cities and counties have already been cut too much and I do not support further cuts in this bill.
I also voted against the bill because it is less than one-third of a solution to solve the deficit and one-third of a solution is no solution. The projected deficit is $994 million and this bill has a deficit reduction of $312.3 million. I cannot vote on budget bills without knowing where the rest of the cuts are going to come from. Health and Human Services is expected to rely on increased federal funding for its “contribution” to the deficit reduction. However, we do not know how much money will be coming so we are in a holding pattern until we get those numbers. This means that all the rest of the budget balancing will have to be accomplished through K-12 education and/or tax increase, which I won’t support.
It doesn’t make sense to me to vote on an incomplete budget without knowing how much federal money we will be getting or where the rest of the cuts will go. When you plan your budget at home, you don’t do it in stages or without knowing how much money you are going to have at the end of the month. Unfortunately, this common sense approach is a hard concept to grasp down in St. Paul.
JOBS BILL We passed a bill that promotes job creation and allows for Minnesota to have a better economic climate for small businesses. The bill has a net reduction in taxes, encourages economic growth and received strong bipartisan support with only three no votes in the Senate. The key elements include the angel investor tax credit, enhanced Research and Development tax credit, and CARZ, which provides incentives to the St. Paul Ford assembly plant site. By providing tax breaks to small startup businesses, Minnesota will be able to compete with other states, including Wisconsin, in attracting new innovative companies that will grow and provide jobs for Minnesotans.
The bill also provides flexibility for the Mall of America and the city of Bloomington to use local taxes for mall expansion. Some estimates project the Mall of America expansion would put 1,000 or more Minnesotans back to work. This will really help out the construction industry which as an industry is still experiencing 50 percent unemployment. I supported this bill and am happy that we were able to work across party lines to get Minnesotans back to work.
Thanks for taking the time to read my update, and please feel free to contact me with your questions and comments.
Sincerely,
Bill
State Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen encourages and appreciates constituent input, and can be reached at 651-297-8063, by mail at 123 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155, or via email at sen.bill.ingebrigtsen@senate.mn.
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