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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Paul Anderson (R)

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MUCH WORK REMAINS IN SESSION’S WANING WEEKS

Monday, May 6, 2013

 

 

By Rep. Paul Anderson

We are in the final two weeks of session, and much work remains to be finished. The spending bills that will determine how our state operates during the next two years are all in conference committees, and it’s not expected we will see any of them back before the end of this week.

Despite the fact that both chambers are under DFL control, significant differences remain to be worked out, especially with regard to the tax bill. The House plan calls for raising $2.6 billion in new revenue, including new fourth- and fifth-tier income tax rates that would give Minnesota the second highest tax rates in the country. The Senate’s tax plan raises less money, $1.9 billion, but would change the sales tax to include clothing and some other services, including labor on repairs.

To complicate matters, Gov. Dayton has said he doesn’t support the tax on clothing. And he is not in favor of raising the income tax to pay back the school shift. In addition, some of the new taxes proposed by the Legislature would raise taxes on more residents than just the wealthiest Minnesotans, such as the Senate income tax or the House plan to raise taxes on tobacco and alcohol. The increase on beer, for example, would be 600 percent, going from $4 per barrel to $27.

I am concerned that we will hear other bills yet as we head down the stretch, legislation that is controversial but is being pushed by certain groups. On the agenda early in the week is a bill that addresses bullying and attempts to make state law in an attempt to control the problem. It will also raise costs, estimated around $26 million per year for our school districts.

I think we’ll also hear a bill that would provide for the unionization of day care providers and those who serve as personal care attendants (PCA's). I’ve said many times that not one provider I’ve visited with has been in favor of the plan. Well, that’s not true anymore. One who is in favor of unionization did visit my office recently. She didn’t change my mind, however, as I’m still adamantly opposed to the idea.

We will probably also hear a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the final days of session. The DFL had said they wouldn’t bring it up until the budget had been taken care of, but the bill was added over the weekend to the schedule of the Ways and Means Committee. That’s the last stop for bills before being heard on the House floor, and HF 1054, Legalizing Gay Marriage, will be debated in that committee Monday evening, May 6. This is going to be a contentious issue, and if the bill gets a date on the House calendar, the DFL probably has enough votes to ensure its passage. Pressure has been ramping up in recent days, with ads promoting gay marriage on television and Gov. Dayton even visiting the DFL caucus. It’s my hope that enough rural Democrats will break rank and join Republicans in opposition to the bill. Only time will tell.

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