Source: grandforksherald.com
It is impossible to listen to Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton very long and not realize he hates Republican plans to disperse a state budget surplus by cutting taxes.
A surplus can "evaporate" quickly, he told reporters, adding that the surplus should be used to advance Minnesota.
Dayton said that Republicans' idea of spending the nearly $2 billion state surplus on tax cuts is just wrong.
"If they insist on that, I will do everything I can to persuade them to change that," the governor said.
"To wipe out that entire surplus" could hurt the state, Dayton said, as happened when Jesse Ventura was governor and tax cuts he spearheaded adversely affected state budgets for years.
The governor, who polls show maintains popularity, has saved some of his harshest comments for GOP tax cut talk.
Republicans, meanwhile, say they are fighting for tax cuts because that is what Minnesotans want.
House Republicans still are working on their plans, but the Senate GOP announced its proposal Thursday.
“It’s time for families to experience some of the ‘surplus’ enjoyed by state government,” said Sen. Dave Thompson, R-Lakeville, said. “This plan is pretty simple and straightforward -- everyone who pays income taxes will pay less.”
The average tax relief for a couple would be $524 a year, the Republicans said.
Income tax rate reductions would be in addition to exempting Social Security and veterans’ pensions from state income taxes and a tax credit for families with young children.
Hemp lobbying effort
Rep. Mary Franson represents half of Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen's district and since both are conservative Republicans, people might think they agree on everything.
Think again. Franson is the House author of a bill to allow limited growing of hemp for research, in hopes it someday will be legal to grow hemp as a money crop.
Ingebrigtsen is a former long-time law enforcement official, including Douglas County sheriff, and strongly opposes legal hemp. In fact, he told Forum News Service that legalizing hemp is a baby step to legalizing recreational marijuana, which is related to hemp but has very little of the chemical that can make a person high.
So Franson decided so show Ingebrigtsen what Minnesotans are missing. "Just dropped off some hemp presents to my senator," she tweeted the day the story about his hemp views appeared. "I'm sure he'll enjoy them."
Her gift bag included soap and hemp seed hearts. Hemp, grown just north of Minnesota in Canada, can be made into food, ropes, clothing and dozens of other items. It is illegal to grow in Minnesota.
The Ingebrigtsen story attracted a lot of attention by pro-marijuana websites and prompted pro-hemp Farmers Union lobbyist Thom Peterson to write on Facebook: "Well ... not sure what to say about this ... More work to do!"
GOP attacks Peterson
The National Republican Congressional Committee is trying to tie U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson to Hillary Clinton's email scandal.
Peterson had nothing to do with expected presidential candidate Clinton setting up a private email server when she was secretary of state.
"Collin Peterson, however, has not called on Clinton to do so and has said nothing at all about this stunning breach of the public trust," callers are telling Peterson constituents.
A news release says the calls are an attempt to pressure Peterson "to break his silence and demand transparency from Clinton. ..."
Democrat Peterson has said he expects to run for re-election next year and Republicans see his western Minnesota district as ripe for a change.
Pressure for bonds
Capitol observers noted that Gov. Mark Dayton included public works projects in legislative districts held by Republicans.
They say those projects were in the Dayton bonding plan to gain GOP support. Votes from lawmakers in both parties are needed to pass a bonding bill.
“If they don’t want to support this,” Dayton said about Republican lawmakers, “let them go back to their districts and explain.”
Some Republicans did not like the Dayton pressure, and vowed to continue their opposition to a public works bill, which would be funded by the state selling bonds.
However, what had seemed to be unanimous GOP opposition appeared to melt away a bit after Dayton announced his plan Tuesday. Even many Republicans who all along have said there would be no bonding bill, unless an emergency cropped up, left the door open to something much smaller than the governor wants.
Of cigars and communists
A Minnesota Senate committee approved spending $100,000 for the state to develop trading ties with Cuba.
"This is all about cigars," committee Chairman David Tomassoni, D-Chisholm, joked.
Later, Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen, R-Alexandria, wondered: "What other communist countries do we do business like this with?"
"China," Tomassoni responded. "How about China? I think that is a communist country."
Smartphone proof
Smartphone uses are multiplying by the day and soon Minnesota law enforcement officials may accept them for proof of car insurance.
The House passed 127-0 a bill by Rep. Dan Fabian, R-Roseau, to join more than 30 other states in allowing electronic proof-of-insurance "cards." The state-mandated cards long have been stashed in crowded glove compartments, but if the bill authored by Fabian and Sen. Kent Eken, D-Twin Valley, becomes law, drivers could pull out their smartphones instead.
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