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State Representative Paul Marquart
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-6829
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E-Update
2012 SESSION UPDATE
2012 session ends with mixed results
I hope you are having a nice spring and looking forward to a good summer. The recently completed 2012 session had its ups and its downs. Here is a summary of this year’s session of the Minnesota Legislature.
The “Ups”
The #1 goal this session was to create jobs and keep our economy growing. Minnesota has recovered about one-half of the 160,000 jobs that were lost during the great recession. But we need to continue to work to provide jobs.
In the last week of the session the Legislature passed two “jobs” bills with the strong leadership of Gov. Mark Dayton. I supported both of these bills. The first bill was a $500 million bonding bill that will provide $30 million for flood prevention in the Red River Valley and other flood prone areas. Bonding for construction and repairs to roads and bridges, wastewater systems, buildings on college campuses, and Greater Minnesota business development grants will directly benefit our area.
The second “jobs” bill is the approval of the construction of a new $975 million 65,000 seat Minnesota Vikings stadium that will be completed by 2016. Besides providing thousands of construction jobs, this project will keep the Vikings in Minnesota for at least 30 years and continue to have the team provide an economic and entertainment value to the state.
Also, strong leadership by local residents led to more laws to help stop the spread of aquatic invasive species in our lakes.
I was glad to see the Legislature increase funding to help veterans identify benefits for which they are eligible, especially those related to post-traumatic stress disorder. Laws were also passed to help veterans obtain employment.
The “Downs”
There were two major disappointments of the session – the failure to restore the Homestead Credit and the inability to find a way to pay back the $2.4 billion owed to our K-12 schools by the state in a responsible and complete fashion.
The elimination of the Homestead Credit last year, which I strongly opposed, led to huge property tax increases in rural Minnesota. The Homestead Credit was a credit up to $304 that was enjoyed by homeowners for over four decades. I authored a bill to restore the Homestead Credit but to no avail.
The elimination of the Homestead Credit was a major reason property taxes went up $370 million around the state this year with rural Minnesota picking up 64% of the tab. An average homeowner in rural Minnesota saw their property taxes go up EIGHT times higher than someone in the metro area and rural businesses saw their property taxes go up THREE times higher than the metro area. Farm land property taxes went up 11% on the average. We must restore the Homestead Credit next session.
The Legislature must also develop a plan to provide the needed resources to help schools attain the highest academic achievement levels for students. The state must find a way to pay back the money it owes to schools that it borrowed to solve the state’s budget problems.
The “Future”
As another session ends, I am confident and optimistic that by working together we can protect and enhance our rural way of life for our senior citizens, families, farmers, small businesses and future generations.
Thank you so much for contacting me during the year. It is an honor to be serving you in St. Paul. Please contact me in the future with any concerns or if I can ever be of any help. Have an enjoyable and safe summer!
News Items
- Minnesota House Passes Education Budget Making Historic Investments in Minnesota students, future - (Posted: May 19 2013 12:00AM)
- Minnesota House Passes Education Budget Making Historic Investments in Minnesota Students, Future - (Posted: Apr 23 2013 8:38PM)
- House Omnibus Education Finance and Policy Bill Passes Out of Committee - (Posted: Apr 12 2013 3:32PM)
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