Accessibility menu
State Representative Phyllis Kahn
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4257
For more information contact: Ted Modrich 651-296-5809
Press/News Releases
STATE GOVERNMENT FINANCE BILL ELIMINATES FUNDING FOR THE HELP AMERICA VOTE ACT
ST. PAUL — Yesterday the House of Representatives passed the Republican State Government Finance Omnibus Bill on a party line vote. Included in its list of controversial provisions, the bill deleted language appropriating funds to be spent for purposes authorized by the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA).
The Help America Vote Act was passed and signed into law by President Bush in 2002, and required states to update their election procedures, including voter registration and voting machines.
“In taking away this funding the Republican majority is looking for ways to decrease voter turnout, disenfranchise voters, and ultimately dismantle our election system," said State Representative Phyllis Kahn (DFL – Minneapolis), the DFL lead member on the House State Government Finance Committee. “Minnesota is number one in the country in voter turnout and now Republicans would like to take that away.”
Without this appropriation approximately $2.6 million will remain in the HAVA account. While the funds are meant to have a very narrowly defined purpose, DFLers believe that the GOP will likely try to use them to pay for their controversial Voter ID legislation.
“These funds were designed to be used to improve our elections systems, not pay for legislation that will make it harder to vote,” Rep. Kahn said. “Voter ID is a solution in search of a problem. It’s unnecessary, costly, with seemingly the only goal of disenfranchising seniors, students, the disabled, and minorities.”
News Items
- House Approves Final Omnibus Legacy Bill - (Posted: May 20 2013 4:53PM)
- Rep. Kahn Votes to Freeze Tuition, Enact Minnesota DREAM Act - (Posted: May 18 2013 3:09PM)
- House Approves Omnibus Legacy Bill - (Posted: May 10 2013 7:09PM)
- Archived News Items
- Subscribe to RSS News Feeds
- Read more about RSS.