MN State Representatives expect the 2010 Legislative Bonding Session, starting in February, to be intense and lively as the state faces a $1 billion shortfall and a gubernatorial election in November. Several State Senators and Representatives are planning on running for governor, including the Speaker of the House, Margaret Anderson Keliher.Almost $1 billion had been borrowed in the 2009 Regular Session. Now the Legislature must contend with a Capital Improvement budget and make major cuts to deal with the deficit. According to State Rep. Bobby Joe Champion (DFL-58B), “The deficit could have been as high as $4.4 billion if we didn’t have the cushion from federal stimulus funding…We have to make sure it is used appropriately and adheres to federal requirements.” He said that the biggest issue this year is “jobs; getting Minnesotans back to work.”
Even though this is a lame-duck year for Gov. Tim Pawlenty, he has promised to veto any new revenue bill in what many say is an effort to preserve his image for his conservative friends across the country. According to State Rep. Jeff Hayden (DFL–61B), the problem with a governor being able to say, “‘I didn’t raise any taxes,’ is that some else had to.”
When the State denies funding for certain projects, the financial burden is then placed on counties and cities, which are forced to raise property taxes. Hayden said that this creates a situation where a “select group of Minnesotans, property owners, has to pick up the tab to cover basic [government] services.”
Champion said Minnesotans should “return to the idea of fair taxes where everyone makes their contribution to the tax base. We need to make sure those high-income earners pay their fair share, but not more, and that everyone contributes what they can.” He added that, “We’re all in this together as Minnesotans and we need to use these challenging times not to attack each other but to come together.”
General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) will be another big issue this session since the program will be eliminated March 1, 2010 and everyone enrolled will be transferred to MinnesotaCare. Champion said he hopes that “we can get this safety net back in play and extend it for an additional 16 months. The erosion to MinnesotaCare is unsustainable…We need to protect what is already allotted for health care coverage.”
Local hospitals face millions of dollars in funding cuts and Hayden said he is “very concerned with getting health care to those who need it most without bankrupting hospitals.” The House is hoping to provide Minnesotans with coverage for preventative care, mental health services, disability services, and chemical dependency and intervention services.
Hayden said Minnesotans can also expect a ‘Bill of Tenants’ Rights’ in effort to revamp tenant and landlord laws that tend to favor landlords. Creating equal rights for both will address the issue of “tenants being evicted because they didn’t realize the landlord couldn’t pay the mortgage,” he said.
Child homelessness is another hot issue in which Hayden plans to be heavily involved. He hopes to build a coalition between the Early Childhood Caucus, out-of-home placement programs, and the public school system to diminish the number of children in foster care. Hayden pointed out that “There is a direct impact that not having a safe place to live has on being able to learn in school…Very young children are most at risk and getting them into a healthy environment early is a precursor to having a greater outcome in school.”
Insightnews.com