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Thursday, September 02, 2010
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| | Email this article • Print this article | GOP caucus saved Minnesotas billions
By State Rep. Ron Shimanski
One of the greatest accomplishments of the 2007 session was the cooperation within the House minority party with the common goal to do what's best for our constituents and Minnesotans under the state Constitution.
Members split from the caucus views when service to his/her district was compromised while other members held no grudges.
Yet, in the end, the caucus pulled together and stood strong against record tax increases, reckless government spending and the passage of policy legislation that the vast majority of Minnesotans do not agree with.
House members held the line against over $5 billion in new, job-killing tax increases. In cooperation with the governor, who made very clear from the beginning that there were some initiatives that would be "poison pills" - making an entire bill unsignable - House members promoted the values that Minnesotans hold dear.
Just this week, the final version of a tax bill that included all of the tax increase proposals needed to fund the ever-increasing government spending new House leaders were planning, received the governor's veto. The good was thrown out with the bad, because of the uncompromising nature of a few.
Both Gov. Pawlenty and House Republicans had offered budget proposals that funded the state's core priorities without raising taxes. Our proposals also included property tax relief, a popular and necessary proposal that new House leaders did not address adequately, even in their enormous tax bill.
A large amount of the $5 billion in proposed tax increases were a direct result of the Omnibus Transportation bill. If it had been passed, taxes and fees contained in the legislation would have put a great burden on the typical Minnesota family.
Although new House leadership claimed that transportation was a core priority before session began, it wasn't until the very end of session that there was any sense of urgency to pass the legislation. The bill first passed the House on March 24, 2007, but conference committee members were not appointed by Speaker Margaret Anderson-Kelliher until April 11.
It wasn't until a month later, on May 14, all in one day the conference committee proposed a compromise, signed the conference committee report, sent it to the House and Senate floors for approval by the bodies, and okayed the report to go to the governor for approval.
The very next day, May 15, the governor vetoed the bill, referencing the fact that a gas tax increase was one of his "poison pills" from the very beginning.
There are a number of speculations about the procrastination that went on with the transportation bill. Either new House leadership thought the governor wouldn't really go through with a veto in the end, or else they thought that enough Republican House members would vote with the DFL in a veto-override in the last 20 minutes of the last hour of the 2007 session.
In the end, we stuck together on behalf of Minnesotans and the wallets that are already struggling with the price of fuel.
The question of whether or not a special session will be necessary in order to pass some kind of transportation or tax bill will be decided soon.
House Minority Leader Marty Seifert says that a special session is not necessary. In the end, it's up to the governor to call a special session and right now his office is uncertain. Seifert says there is nothing that needs to be done that can't wait until next session, and I tend to agree with him.
Rep. Shimanski is serving his first term in the Minnesota House. He can be reached at the Capitol by calling 651-296-1534. He is also available by e-mail at rep.ron.shimanski@house.mn. His office is located at 227 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.
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Reader Comments
Posted: Saturday, June 23, 2007
Article comment by:
Michas M. Ohnstad
First term Representative Ron Shimanski succinctly summarized the service the Republican House Members provided to the State of Minnesota in the recently-concluded 2007 Session when they "held the line against over $5 billion in new 'job-killing taxes' in cooperation with the Governor." We commnend Rep. Shimanski for his fiscal astuteness and remind readers that "good policy is always good politics!"
Former State Rep. Michas M. Ohnstad, North Branch, MN
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