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Minnesota House of Representatives

State Representative Bob Barrett

287 State Office BuildingState Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-5377

For more information contact: Jason Wenisch 651-296-2317

Posted: 2012-02-28 00:00:00
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NEWS COLUMN

Legislative Update: Better Business Conditions Encourage Hiring

Dear Neighbors,

I introduced two important bills this week that will, in large part, benefit Chisago County children as well as the children of the entire state of Minnesota.

The first piece of legislation relates to synthetic drugs and the problems these drugs have caused on our young people in the last few years. Last year, a law was enacted that made it a gross misdemeanor to unlawfully sell any amount of synthetic cannabinoids (synthetic marijuana) and a misdemeanor for possession of the same. Synthetic marijuana, marketed as K2 or Spice, is an herbal substance sold as an incense or smoking material that was legal in Minnesota prior to this legislation. Although synthetic cannabinoids do not contain cannabis, when smoked, they produce similar effects with approximately four times the potency of the naturally-occurring THC.

The current statute lacks definite language to protect against different variations of synthetic drugs that are produced to skirt the law. Because we are discussing synthetic drugs, one change in molecular structure has, in the past, been enough to make a drug legal that should not be. This will stop under this new bill. The Minnesota Board of Pharmacy supports the bill as do many in the law enforcement community.

I was interviewed by KSTP last Monday, and you can locate the media coverage here. I will hold a press conference this Thursday morning before the bill’s hearing in the Public Safety Committee. One of the reasons for this press conference is to communicate to parents the danger in these types of new drugs and how critically important it is to be able to know how to recognize these drugs if you happen to see them.

My second bill creates a new source of state aid for school districts with per-pupil education revenue, like Chisago Lakes, North Branch, and Rush City, that is much below the state average.

This legislation is extremely important as it begins to shrink the gap between the rich districts, like Minneapolis and St. Paul, who receive $14,000 per child and districts like those in our county who receive 40% less per child. This funding inequity has been created through many, many years of past legislators favoring metro schools to the detriment of all others. The bill will not , by itself, completely solve the problems of inequitable school funding, but it will help, with other related bills we are working on, move us in the right direction. The sooner the better.

Better Business Conditions Encourage Hiring

A recent Gallup Poll confirms that the Republican-led Legislature’s “Reform 2.0” initiatives are well-intentioned and appropriately-timed.

Reform 2.0 was developed, in part, by input from local businesses around the state. Their concerns mirror those of the small businesses surveyed in this poll. Minnesota currently ranks 45th in the nation for highest businesses taxes, deterring jobs from staying, growing, and being created in our state. Our local businesses – the backbone of our economy – are feeling the pressure of excessive government regulations and burdensome taxation, and the poll confirms this: Nearly 50% of those surveyed are prevented from expansion and growth because of government regulations.

In order to create a competitive business climate, our Reform 2.0 initiatives include legislation that will put a moratorium on rulemaking, decrease and phase out burdensome business property taxation, bring more efficiency to the permitting process, and streamline state government, among other things.

Our plan supports long-term reform and avoids band-aid approaches to job creation – such as Governor Dayton’s desire to borrow $1 billion from taxpayers for stimulus spending. Now is the time to reshape government and change the trajectory of our state’s economy. We simply cannot accept – or afford – the status quo.

Reform 2.0 bills are moving through the committee process and will approach the floor in short order. I invite you to view our Bill Tracker for more information on legislation that will benefit Minnesota’s private sector in the long term.

Thank you for the privilege of serving District 17B in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have about state government.

Best regards,

Bob

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