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State Representative Tim Sanders
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4226
For more information contact: Austin Bleess 651-296-5529
NEWS COLUMN
EMAIL UPDATE: MAY 1, 2009
Friends and Neighbors,
All of the major omnibus bills have been passed by the House, including
a $1.5 billion tax increase for this biennium and a $2.9 billion tax
increase for next biennium. But where does this money get spent?
Let’s look at their priorities.
In this issue:
1. Priorities of the House Majority
2. Smoking Shacks
3. Nuclear Power
4. In The District
1. Priorities of the House Majority
Over the weekend the House passed their tax increases on Minnesota
families, which I voted against. The tax increases total $4.4 billion
over four years and will hit all Minnesotans. But where will these tax
increases be spent? Does the spending match up with the priorities of
our district?
Throughout all the discussions I have had with folks in my district,
the number one thing they are concerned with is education. Despite the
over $2.8 billion dollars in new taxes the House majority proposed (and
passed), they still pushed through a $200 million dollar cut in K-12
education funding. Tax increases coupled with cuts in education does not
appear to make funding our children’s future a top priority.
Another top priority of people in our district is public safety -
nearly 93% of those who responded to my survey said public safety should
be spared from budget cuts. The recent bill passed by the House, which I
opposed, proposed a cut of over $70 million while raising fees by over
$28 million dollars.
Instead of these priorities they’re using this funding to put more
people on government run programs. We can continue to fund nursing
homes, personal care providers and provide health insurance for the less
fortunate by making these Minnesotans the top priority in the Health and
Human Services budget - we do not need to raise taxes to do this.
Making cuts is not easy - but it is necessary. By setting priorities
and sticking to them we can get through this deficit and set up the
Minnesota economy to grow and thrive for decades come, without raising
taxes.
2. Smoking Shacks
On Monday during debate on the Health and Human Services Omnibus Bill
there were two amendments offered that would have given some basic
rights back to property owners. One amendment would have allowed for
bars and restaurants to install a smoking room. This room would have
been completely enclosed from the other areas of the building and no
workers would be required to enter it.
The other amendment would have allowed businesses to install smoking
shacks outside of their buildings. In the winter it can get pretty
cold, and these smoking shacks would at least provide a chance for
people to get out of the wind. Businesses could heat them if they
wanted.
Both amendments were not adopted.
3. Nuclear Power
The Senate approved a measure a few weeks back that would move our
state a step closer to building more nuclear power plants. Nuclear
energy is a cheap and safe way to generate electricity. It’s used
throughout Europe and many states have nuclear power plants as well.
Results of my legislative survey show that 70% of our district supports
repealing the ban. Today on the House Floor we had a chance to repeal
the ban, just as the Senate did. However the House voted down the
amendment.
4. In The District
This weekend at the Blaine airport there will be a number of vintage
aircraft. Anyone that is interested in vintage air craft may find this
event sponsored by the Minnesota Air & Space Museum interesting.
You can find more information on the event in the recent Blaine-Spring
Lake Park Life article by clicking here:
http://abcnewspapers.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7038&Itemid=27
That is all for now. Just a reminder, you can find my latest news
columns on my website www.house.mn/51A. There you will also find Audio
Commentary on the issues. If you use iTunes you can subscribe to my
podcast in iTunes. Just search “Rep. Tim Sanders” in the iTunes
store.
As always feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you
may have on legislative issues.
Until next time,
Tim
News Items
- 2013 Legislative Survey Results - (Posted: May 14 2013 10:16AM)
- Legislative Update from Rep. Sanders - (Posted: Mar 14 2013 12:00AM)
- Budget Outlook Improves - (Posted: Mar 1 2013 5:38PM)
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