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State Representative Patti Fritz
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-8237
For more information contact: Sandy Connolly 651-296-8877
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REP. FRITZ VOTES TO SUPPORT EDUCATION, HEALTH CARE AND NURSING HOMES
St. Paul, MN – State Representative Patti Fritz said she wrestled with her conscience before voting against a bill on Tuesday that would have dedicated money for natural resources by taking money away from critical areas such as education, health care and nursing homes.
The bill called for a constitutional amendment to be placed on the ballot next November, asking voters to approve dedicating a portion of the existing state sales tax for hunting, fishing, clean water, parks and the arts.
"I could not in good faith cast a vote for a bill that would hurt the very people I am fighting for – nursing home residents, children and workers," said Fritz. "As a strong supporter of protecting our water, wildlife habitat, parks and the arts, I am hopeful that I can vote on a better bill in the near future."
Under this bill, 3/16 of 1% of the current sales tax would be set aside for the dedicated funding. The Senate bill calls for 3/8 of 1% of a new tax to fund these priorities; it also offers a larger percentage than the House bill for water, parks and the arts.
Another component of the bill that troubles Fritz is an amendment that was offered by Rep. Mark Olson (R- Big Lake) that does not allow for any tax or fee increases in the next seven years for all of state government.
"This amendment is very short-sighted," said Fritz. "How can we possibly know what circumstances could come up in the next seven years that may make a tax increase a reasonable option?"
While Fritz said that she is not in favor of tax increases, she acknowledges that there certainly are times when some type of increase needs to be considered, such as the bipartisan gas tax that was proposed last session to fund statewide transportation projects.
It also would have the strong potential for raising property taxes even more, as local governments struggle to pay for more services that were previously covered by the state, according to Fritz.
The bill will now move to the Conference Committee, where the differences with the Senate version will be resolved before coming back to the House for a final vote.
"I have heard from many people in our area about this issue– they want our impaired waters to be cleaned up and wildlife habitats to be protected," said Fritz. " I am very optimistic a better bill will be worked out in Conference Committee that protects our natural resources without hurting some of our most vulnerable residents."
News Items
- STATE REP. PATTI FRITZ PARTICIPATES IN START OF LEGISLATIVE SESSION - (Posted: Jan 9 2013 3:32PM)
- Rep. Fritz: Homeowners, Farmers Need Property Tax Relief - (Posted: 2012-05-01 00:00:00)
- Rep. Fritz: Let’s Vote on a Bonding Bill that Benefits All - (Posted: 2012-04-19 00:00:00)
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