Dear Neighbor,
The 2014 Legislative Session is now over. While I’m proud of the work I was able to accomplish, I found the session to be disappointing overall.
As a member of the minority party in the legislature, it’s often difficult to get any legislation passed. However, I was able to work on several pieces of legislation that became law.
Substance Abuse Task Force
Beginning in 2013, I spent many hours working as a member of the bipartisan Select Committee on Controlled Substances and Synthetic Drugs. Our task was to craft legislation that would cracks down on the sale and use of synthetic drugs in Minnesota. I’m pleased to report we were successful in passing such legislation with broad bipartisan support. The trauma endured by those who have fallen victim to synthetic drug abuse – as well as the anguish family members have gone through – is, in many cases, beyond repair. From aggressive and violent psychosis, to grand mal seizures with the inability to drive a car or hold down a job, physical mutilation, lack of ability to care for children, the uncompensated costs to ambulance services and hospitals, my hope is that this new law gives the state the tools necessary to begin to prevent these tragedies from occurring.
Lake Elmo Water Project
I co-authored legislation with Rep. Joann Ward (DFL-Woodbury) that was signed into law that secures $3.5 million in funding for a water project in Lake Elmo. This project will help provide clean water to the citizens of Lake Elmo and the surrounding community.
Bayport Fire Station
I worked successfully to pass legislation that authorized a transfer of land from the State of Minnesota to the City of Bayport in order for the city to build a fire station on a vacant site at the northeast corner of Stagecoach Trail and Fifth Avenue.
State Patrol Funding
Because of legislative changes made in 2013, it’s anticipated we will have a shortfall of members of the State Patrol in the coming years. I was successful in securing nearly $6 million of funding for the State Trooper Academy. This will ensure our state has the resources it needs to train our next generation of state troopers who work hard every day to keep Minnesota’s roadways safe.
Child Support Payment Requirements
In response to a recent Minnesota Supreme Court ruling that allowed for a parent to avoid making child support payments based on unclear statutory language, I co-authored legislation that was signed into law that clarifies the requirements for child support payment. With this loophole now closed, adults can no longer avoid the responsibility of paying child support because of a technicality.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of legislation that came out of this legislative session was, in my view, not good for the hardworking taxpayers of Minnesota. I’m particularly concerned about the lack of spending discipline. While we certainly need to fund key areas, I was disappointed by misplaced spending priorities by Democrats in St. Paul.
For instance, the spending bill that passed on the last day of the legislative session spends $262.73 million more for the current fiscal year and $842.34 million more in the next fiscal year in 2016-17. Instead of rushing to spend tax dollars on a long wish list like a new $90 million new office building for state senators, I would have preferred to focus on funding a few basic priorities and return the remaining dollars to those who paid the money in – you the taxpayer.
Over the past two legislative sessions, state government spending has increased by more than 12 percent at a time when our state’s economy has only grown by 4 percent. Overall spending increased by more than $1,500 for every man, woman, and child in Minnesota. With the troubling news that Minnesota shed over 4,000 jobs in the month of April, it’s conceivable we’ll see a reduction in tax revenue because of fewer people working. Such irresponsible increases in spending – especially given recent economic news – will likely put us into a situation where we are facing a deficit yet again.
Just as you set your family budget and make spending priorities, government should be doing the same. I’m dismayed by the lack of respect for taxpayers over the past two years.
As always, I am interested in your feedback. Please feel free to contact me by e-mail at Rep.Kathy.Lohmer@House.MN or contact my office at 651-296-4244. You can also send mail to my office address: 239 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.
Sincerely,
Kathy