Political Party

Clock running out on fixing tax reciprocity agreement

A bipartisan group of 21 lawmakers has sent a letter to Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty asking them to restore the tax reciprocity agreement between the two states.

The lawmakers are asking officials to start negotiating both a short-term and long-term fix to the reciprocity dispute. And the clock is ticking. The Minnesota Department of Revenue said a solution has to be in place by early November in order to alert affected taxpayers and employers. Otherwise, the reciprocity agreement will end as of Jan. 1, 2010.

Lawmakers signing the letter include DFL-Winona, Rep. Greg Davids, R-Preston and Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, Sen. Sharon Erickson Ropes, DFL-Winona and Sen. Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing.

The letter goes on to ask the two states to also look at a long-term fix to the problem. That could include updating a study that calculates reimbursements and potentially revising the interest rate applied to Wisconsin's payments.

The letter states, "We are keenly aware of the difficult budget circumstances facing both states. We believe, however, that this fact makes it even more important to strive for a long-term agreement that will support the working relationship and regional economy  of which we have been so reliant and have benefited from in the past."

Last month, the Minnesota Department of Revenue announced it was scrapping the 41-year-old agreement as of Jan. 1, 2010. At that point, Minnesotans who work in Wisconsin must file and income tax return in both states. That means higher taxes for Minnesota workers. The department estimates that 8,000 Minnesota residents will see a tax increase of $300 year.

Click here to Download Reciprocity Restoration Letter

Taxpayers League scorecard not kind to Roch Democrats

The Taxpayers League of Minnesota has released its annual legislative scorecard. The scores are based on whether or not lawmakers voted for legislation deemed by the organization to be unfriendly to the taxpayer. In many cases, that involves whether or not a lawmaker supported bills with tax increases.

The report card did not have a favorable view of most DFLers — especially in Rochester. On a scale of 0 to 100, with 100 considered a perfect score, no Rochester Democrats received a rating above 13. In southeast Minnesota, the lawmaker with the lowest score was Sen Steve Murphy of Red Wing who netted a 0. 

Rep. Gene Pelowski of Winona was the highest ranking Democrat with a score of 47. That is in large part due to his voting against the DFL tax increase proposals. 

The report heralds Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty and former House Minority Leader and potential gubernatorial candidate Marty Seifert, R-Marshall, as the "2009 Heroes of the Taxpayers" for standing up against tax increases.

Here is a look at ratings for Southeast Minnesota lawmakers. To look at the Taxpayers League's full list, go here.

Senate

Sharon Erickson Ropes, DFL-Winona — 21

Ann Lynch, DFL-Rochester — 7

Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing — 0

David Senjem, R-Rochester — 57

Dan Sparks, DFL-Austin — 14

House

Robin Brown, DFL-rural Austin — 7

Greg Davids, R-Preston — 80

Randy Demmer, R-Hayfield — 80

Steve Drazkowski, R-Wabasha — 87

Tim Kelly, R-Red Wing — 87

Tina Liebling, DFL-Rochester — 13

Kim Norton, DFL-Rochester — 13

Gene Pelowski, DFL-Winona — 47

Jeanne Poppe, DFL-Austin — 27

Andy Welti, DFL-Plainview — 13

Is someone to blame for failure to get St. Charles aid?

The Legislature's failure to pass $800,000 in aid that the city of St. Charles had been hoping for has some pointing fingers. The money would have made up for lost property taxes and sewer/water and electricity revenue from the North Star Foods, which was destroyed in a fire last month.

While lawmakers did manage to get money for the local school district and a sales tax exemption for the company to rebuild, the money for the city failed to win approval. The measure did win Senate approval but did not pass in the House.

In the wake of the disappointment, some politicians have been putting the blame on Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Wabasha, the bill's sponsor. Here is a link to a Winona Daily News article with some critical remarks by St. Charles Mayor Bill Spitzer. But in an interview on Tuesday, Spitzer said his comments were mischaracterized and that you can't blame one person for the bill's failure.

But Sen. Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, was more than willing to take Drazkowski to task over the bill — along with the governor. Here is a link to today's story.

Norton's seat belt bill gets passed — a first for House

Rochester DFL Rep. Kim Norton's bill that would allow police officers to pull drivers over for failing to wear a seat belt passed the Minnesota House Monday afternoon by a vote of 73 to 60. This marks the first the bill has passed the House, according to Sen. Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing.

Murphy is the bill's sponsor in the Senate and has been championing the issue for 17 years. Opponents have argued the measure is an invasion of personal liberties and could lead to more racial profiling. Supporters argued it would save an estimated 30 lives per year and mean $3.4 million in new federal funds.

So what made the difference this year?

"I think the difference was the author in the House was very aggressive and worked the bill hard and did a good job. Kim Norton made the difference," Murphy said.

The bill is expected to come up for a vote on the Senate this afternoon. If it passes, it will head to the governor.

Bad news for 65th street interchange efforts

Looks like a measure aimed at forcing the Minnesota Department of Transportation to issue the necessary permits to build the interchange at U.S. 52 and 65th Street in Rochester is dead — again.

Senate Transportation Chair Steve Murphy said the provision got stripped out of a transportation policy bill during conference committee negotiations. Local business owners and labor groups had been pushing hard for the measure, arguing it would create needed jobs and investment.

But some lawmakers have been opposed to forcing MnDOT to issue the permits, saying the city needs to go through the standard process.

Senate Minority Leader Dave Senjem, R-Rochester, sponsored the bill in the Senate and has been pushing hard to get it passed. It had originally been included in a transportation budget bill, but got chopped out during negotiations.

Senjem said he is "exasperated" and "disappointed" the measure failed to win support.

The city of Rochester and MnDOT have agreed to split a $794,000 transportation study to determine the need for the interchange.

Primary seat belt bill headed to the floor

Rochester DFL Rep. Kim Norton managed to get her primary seat belt bill out of the House Ways and Means Committee. When the bill got referred to this committee yesterday, the odds seemed grim. But Norton spent the past 24 hours working behind the scenes to get the bill to the floor. It is believed this may be the first time the primary seat belt bill has made it out of the House committee system to the floor.

The bill would allow police officers to pull over motorists for failing to wear a seat belt and ticket them. The bill's sponsor in the Senate — Red Wing DFL Sen. Steve Murphy — has been trying to get the bill passed for 17 years. Could this be the year it passes?

Norton says the House vote will be "very, very close."

Senate OK's legalizing pot for medical use

The Minnesota Senate gave preliminary approval to a bill by a vote of 36 to 28 that would legalize marijuana for medicinal use. The bill's sponsor is Sen. Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing. Supporters argue legalizing pot for patients would offer relief to Minnesotans dealing with severe pain and terminal illnesses. Opponents, including law enforcement groups, contend it would hurt drug-fighting efforts and could mean more people getting addicted to what is now an illegal drug.

Both of Rochester's senators — DFLer Ann Lynch and Republican Dave Senjem — voted against the bill.

"Just think about it. Do the people of Minnesota really want marijuana to be legalized in the name of medicine? I don't think they do," Senjem said on the Senate floor.

Local lawmakers who voted for the measure include Sen. Sharon Erickson Ropes, DFL-Winona, and Sen. Dan Sparks, DFL-Austin — along with the bill author Murphy.

A bill to legalize marijuana for medical use has passed the Senate before but has stalled in the House. If the bill does get through the legislature, it would still face a possible veto from Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty.