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State Representative Tom Hackbarth
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-2439
For more information contact: Austin Bleess 651-296-5529
NEWS COLUMN
HERE WE GO AGAIN
By Tom Hackbarth
State Representative
One month ago Governor Pawlenty called the legislature into a special session to provide aid to the flood victims in southeastern Minnesota. We provided the aid for the people who needed it, and House Republicans stood strong with the Governor and blocked the tax increases the Democrats so dearly wanted. Again Democrats are clamoring again for a special session, and they’ve got one aim: your wallet.
The Democrats want a special session to pass more increases than you can shake a stick at. They are still claiming we need to raise the gas tax to pay for roads and bridges. They are trying to make you believe we need to raise the sales tax to pay for transit projects. They also want to increase the license tab fees. They want to come back to the Capitol, to collect per diem and to raise your taxes.
There’s a better way to get this all done. The Legislative Advisory Committee (LAC), composed of mainly the Democratic leadership, could approve the money necessary to rebuild the 35W Bridge. The LAC has the power to approve the project. The LAC could make sure this bridge is rebuilt in a timely fashion.
The LAC has the full legal authority to provide the money needed to rebuild, because of a law that was passed in the 2007 session. The provision in law, Minnesota Laws 2007, Chapter 143, Article 1, Section 3, Subdivision 9 (Chapter 143), recognizes that money may become available after the budget is set. For the bridge, the money will be coming from the federal government.
We have seen the LAC appropriate money to various projects in the past. As was recently cited by Governor Pawlenty, the LAC in 2002 expanded MnDOT’s state road construction appropriation by $296 million in 2002 and by $80 million in 2006. This process is not new, has been used before, and should be used now.
Democrats do not want the LAC to do this for purely selfish reasons. Looking at what’s been done in the past it’s very clear they can. Instead of rebuilding the bridge the Democrats are holding pointless meetings and launching attacks on the Governor and Lieutenant Governor. The only reason they won’t approve this money is to try and get a special session called so they can raise taxes. They want to get more per diem money by calling a special session. They’re making these attacks to get themselves on the evening news.
We do not need to have all of the legislators come back to St. Paul again to debate this transportation bill. This bridge can be rebuilt without having the long and drawn out debate that would ensue with a special session. We must stand up and say we do not need to have another Special Session.
The Governor is pushing for the LAC to approve the money, because he is fully aware of the unquenchable appetite the DFL has for tax increases. If the DFL controlled legislature comes back to the Capitol for transportation reasons they will again try to raise taxes, just as they did with the original transportation bill. It was because of their incessant desire to raise taxes we did not deal with transportation on our September 11 Special Session.
I encourage each and every one of you to stand up with me and tell the Governor that we do not need another special session. Call the Governor and encourage him to protect our wallets again and keep the legislators out of our wallets, because that is exactly where they will head if they get back down here. Call the Governor at (651) 296-3391, email him at tim.pawlenty@state.mn.us, or send him a letter at Office of the Governor, 130 State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.
The LAC can make the reconstruction of the bridge happen. The only way to keep our wallets safe is to not call a special session. Let your voice be heard.
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