Dear Neighbor,
Today is a sad day for Minnesota. Despite overwhelming opposition from child care providers, the Minnesota House voted Monday to approve a bill that allows a vote by child care and personal care attendants (PCAs) on unionization. The bill passed by a vote of 68-66, with all Republicans voting against it.
This proposal is highly controversial. As I wrote in an email last week, a KSTP poll shows 86 percent of licensed day care providers stand against unionizing and newspaper editorial boards across the state have opposed this initiative. Unions typically form through demand from a particular workforce sector. That is not the case here, with the vast majority of people I hear from in this industry say they oppose unionizing.
In other news from the Capitol, we are putting the finishing touches on the 2013 session as the midnight deadline for adjournment approaches. There have been some very long days and nights on the House floor recently as we took on some of the biggest bills of the session.
An interesting development occurred Sunday evening when the DFL conference committee’s $2 billion tax plan was unveiled. One of the new provisions contained in the 382-page bill was a business-to-business tax on storage and warehouse fees. When I saw the word “storage,” my first thought was a tax on grain being held at an elevator. As I questioned the Tax Committee chair on the bill, it turns out this is a tax on any commercial storage fees and would affect inputs such as fertilizer and fuel.
This is a big deal and a tax on farm inputs. Rep. Rod Hamilton contacted the major farm groups and they immediately emailed letters of concern to the plan, which seemed to catch everyone off-guard. Also included is a provision to apply the state sales tax to farm machinery repairs and other types of repair work. The tax bill was eventually passed, with four Democrats joining the Republicans in voting against the plan.
I look forward to getting home to the people in our district - and getting caught up on work around the farm - now that the session is ending. I'll also send along a more comprehensive look at what transpired this session after the dust settles at the Capitol.
Thank you all the people who provided me with input regarding the issues we faced this session. I invite you to continue passing along your thoughts, ideas and concerns as we make our way through the legislative interim and ramp up to the 2014 session.
Sincerely,
Paul