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State Representative Joe Mullery
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4262
For more information contact: Matt Swenson 651-297-8406
NEWS COLUMN
NEW LAWS FOR OUR COMMUNITY
OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND FORECLOSURES
Even for those whose homes aren’t in foreclosure, the foreclosure crisis has an enormous effect on our neighborhoods, jobs, and overall economy. For the third year in a row, one of my laws leads the nation on the foreclosure problem. It provides a five-month extension of the period when homeowners can pay their arrearages. People who lose their jobs or can’t work because of a medical condition will have time to get back on their feet to pay the arrearages. By comparison, the national office of ACORN told me they were celebrating because they convinced Texas to extend their redemption period from 20 to 50 days! Clearly, my law leads the nation. We also passed my bill to go after foreclosure “consultants" who are ripping off borrowers, and the City’s bill to allow the city to shorten the redemption period on abandoned houses.
The City’s lobbyists also strongly supported two of my bills for neighborhoods but both failed. One would have allowed the City to require a sale to owner-occupants when an owner-occupied house was foreclosed (to prevent neighborhoods from becoming all rental). The other would have allowed the City to use eminent domain to acquire foreclosed properties that were abandoned and dilapidated. The governor vetoed several bills to protect homeowners from unscrupulous repair and home improvement contractors. My bills that provided $1 million for improvements to Victory Memorial Drive, and $44,000 to plant 200 new disease- and insect-resistant elms along the Drive, became law.
YOUTH
We received $2.4 million for the City, with $600,000 going to the Park Board, in my bills to fund youth jobs. Minnesota has become one of the states experiencing a lot of human trafficking (especially involving youth), which is much like slavery. New tough criminal laws were passed this year. Unfortunately, my bill (the first in the country) to attack the problem by civil liability with mandatory minimums was killed by the Senate. Unfortunately, the governor vetoed money for the successful Power of You program whereby graduates of Minneapolis and St. Paul schools are assured they can afford to attend local public colleges. Laws were passed to keep sexual predators from using computers or cell phones to solicit children. First-time juvenile petty offenders will now be referred to restorative justice programs under certain criteria.
BALANCED BUDGET WITH NO TAX INCREASE
Facing the largest budget deficit in history, $6.5 billion ($4.5 billion caused by revenue shortfall), the legislature gave in to the governor’s demands on spending cuts (although some of us objected to the cuts, especially in health and human services programs), and the amount needed to replace lost revenue. However, both Republicans and Democrats rejected the governor’s plan to replace lost revenue by borrowing for current operating expenses and paying double the amount borrowed over 20 years – such a terrible fiscal policy had never been done in our state’s history.
The legislature passed a “pay as you go” balanced budget to replace lost revenue, but the governor vetoed it claiming it would result in huge tax increases. That simply is not true, according to figures supplied by the governor’s own department. The legislature’s bill would have decreased taxes in the biennium beginning July 1, compared to our present biennium ending June 30. Only a few people, mainly those earning over $250,000 per year, would have paid more under our bill. The legislature sent a balanced budget to the governor. He signed most of it, but his veto of part of it created an unbalanced budget which is probably in violation of the Minnesota Constitution. He now proposes to unilaterally cut hospitals and nursing homes, in addition to local government aid (which raises property taxes).
News Items
- Reminder: Primary - August 14; Some Voting Locations May Have Changed - (Posted: 2012-07-08 00:00:00)
- Passing of Dr. John Williams - (Posted: 2012-07-09 00:00:00)
- Rep. Mullery: 2012 Legislative Report - (Posted: 2012-07-10 00:00:00)
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