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Dear Friends:
As lawmakers head into the Easter/Passover break, we have passed the mid-way point of the 2010 Legislative Session. Here is an update of the legislative action at the Capitol this week.
BUDGET
The Senate passed a partial budget bill Monday with some cost-cutting but without real reform. Unfortunately, the cuts failed to prioritize any particular area of the budget and made cuts across the board. I was particularly concerned with the harsh cuts to the public safety. One of government’s primary roles is to keep its citizens safe, and we should not play political games or fail to prioritize it.
The proposed cuts by the Democrats to the public safety budget were nearly $39.2 million, which is more than twice what the Governor proposed. It should be noted that I do not agree with the Governor on his proposed cuts to this budget either.
I offered several amendments to restore funding to the Fire Safety Account which was nearly tapped out to fill other areas of the budget. This account allows our firefighters from across the state, particularly those in rural areas, to receive grants for training. The amendments were defeated. I will continue to fight for this program and try to restore funding.
Fortunately, we were able to prevent any cuts to the Sentence to Serve
(STS) program in the Senate version of the public safety budget bill. I am a strong supporter of this program. STS allows citizens who have committed a crime to work on community projects instead of sitting in jail. However, the Governor and the House have proposed cuts to it. I will update you with more information about this program as the budgetary process progresses. (Mayors comment: This is a vital program to small cities and they are a huge help in helping cities accomplish tasks often mandated by state or federal governments. Please let your representatives know they need to preserve this program.)
Sadly, at the mid-way point of the legislative session, the majority is revealing that it has no real budget plan and is pushing through this partial budget now in order to box-in the governor and the Legislature later with K-12 cuts or tax increases. This piecemeal approach ignores a comprehensive solution to this year’s billion-dollar deficit and, like the earlier passage of the $1 billion bonding bill, shows a complete lack of sensible priorities.
HEALTH CARE
I have signed on to a letter urging our state Attorney General, Lori Swanson, to file a lawsuit against the federal health care bill that was passed Sunday in Washington D.C. I believe that mandates in the bill are unconstitutional and abuse of power by the federal government. All
68 Republican legislators (47 House & 21 Senate) signed on to this letter.
The bill forces U.S. residents to buy health insurance and imposes an unconstitutional tax on individuals who do not comply with the mandate.
Other problems with the legislation include the elimination of an individual’s right to choose private health care plans, a questionable funding mechanism for a new entitlement called the CLASS Act, and overall long-term funding and national deficit questions.
ENERGY
Again this week, lawmakers were denied the opportunity to vote on lifting the state’s 16-year ban on new nuclear power plants, an issue that has become increasingly popular with Americans seeking clean, inexpensive energy. The measure was offered as an amendment to an energy bill in the full Senate, but no vote was taken after the original bill’s author pulled it from consideration. A few weeks ago, a bill that would have lifted the ban was effectively gutted by a few unsupportive members of a Senate energy committee.
EMINENT DOMAIN LAW
The Senate narrowly defeated a bill which would have made it easier for cities to take properties from owners through eminent domain by easing the definitions for abandoned properties. SF 1659 loosely defines “abandoned” property, allowing cities to more easily take property for public use. The bill failed on a tie vote.
State Senator Bill Ingebrigtsen encourages and appreciates constituent input, and can be reached at 651-297-8063, by mail at 123 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155, or via email sen.bill.ingebrigtsen@senate.mn. |
