[Mpls] Proposed legislation affecting Minneapolis
Senate Bill 318 (Local Government Property Tax and Fee Freeze): Introduced by Sen. Lawrence J. Pogemiller on January 13, 2005, to prohibit local governments from increasing property taxes or fees. The state would be required to pay local governments for any reductions made to state aid during the 2003-2004 legislative session. Details and Comments: http://www.minnesotavotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=31074 House Bill 169 (Veterans Property Tax Exemption): Introduced by Rep. Patti Fritz, Rep. Mike Jaros, Rep. Jeanne Poppe, Rep. Tom Rukavina and Rep. Andy Welti on January 12, 2005, to exempt from property taxes homes which a) qualify for homestead classification and b) are owned by a military veteran who has a permanent service-related disability. Details and Comments: http://www.minnesotavotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=31062 Senate Bill 155 (International Economic Development Zones): Introduced by Sen. Ann H. Rest on January 10, 2005, to allow qualified businesses within an international economic development zone to be exempt from or allowed a credit against certain property, income, and corporation taxes that are used primarily for international economic development. A qualified business would be a business that engages in international imports or exports, is certified by the foreign trade zone authority, pays each employee total compensation including benefits. The bill would designate an area a foreign trade zone if within the zone a regional distribution center is being developed, if the border of the zone is within 90 minutes of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The bill would give tax incentives to those who invest in the development of an international economic development zone: exemption from individual income taxes, from state sales tax, from property tax for 12 consecutive years (certain restrictions reduce exemptions to 6 years) until the year 2021 (HF45 Companion Bill). Details and Comments: http://www.minnesotavotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=30727 Senate Bill 186 (Housing and Redevelopment Authorities Competitive Bidding): Introduced by Sen. Scott D. Dibble and Sen. David H. Senjem on January 10, 2005, to provide a temporary exception (until August 1st, 2009) to competitive bidding requirements of Housing and Redevelopment Authorities (HRA) for construction of a public transit facility financed with upcoming bond proceeds or federal subsidies (HF112 Companion Bill). Details and Comments: http://www.minnesotavotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=30689 Senate Bill 238 (School District Tax for Utilities): Introduced by Sen. Don Betzold, Sen. Michelle L. Fischbach, Sen. Steve Kelley, Sen. Steve Murphy and Sen. Gen Olson on January 13, 2005, to allow school districts to levy annually for building utility costs for buildings used primarily for community education programs. The tax could be up to the lesser of the actual cost or $2 times the square footage of the facility. Details and Comments: http://www.minnesotavotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=30964 Senate Bill 261 (School District Taxation for Employee Health Care): Introduced by Sen. Dallas C. Sams and Sen. LeRoy A. Stumpf on January 13, 2005, to allow school districts to tax as much as necessary to pay for the health care of eligible employees. Details and Comments: http://www.minnesotavotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=31342 Senate Bill 245 (Education Spending and Taxes): Introduced by Sen. Sharon Marko, Sen. John Marty, Sen. Tom Saxhaug, Sen. Rod Skoe and Sen. LeRoy A. Stumpf on January 13, 2005, to make a variety of education finance changes. Among the changes, this bill: 1) increases the level of charter school building lease aid, 2) increases spending for early childhood education programs, 3) establishes a new Way to Grow/School Readiness Program for the state to promote development of children prebirth to age six, 4) increases general community education spending, 5) establishes a new after-school enrichment program focusing on Minneapolis and St. Paul neighborhoods, 6) increases state aid for adult basic education, 7) increases basic population aid, 8) increases adult basic education limits, 9) allows for continued generation of limited English proficiency aid after the current limit of five or more years of daily membership in Minnesota public schools, 10) increases the basic education growth factor, 11) increases the special education excess cost aid, 12) increases basic education revenue, 13) allows school districts to tax up to $100 times the pupil units (rather than $90) for the lease of a building, 14) allows districts to tax up to 100% of the cost of unemployment insurance and legal judgements and 15) increases the level at which districts can tax for safe schools (HF148 Companion Bill). Details and Comments: http://www.minnesotavotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=30978 REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at
[Mpls] Proposed legislation affecting Minneapolis
As an now long-ago but still long-time member of the legislative staff, I would suggest that it's kind of pointless to pay much attention to proposed legislation just because it has been introduced. Probably 90% of all bills just lie there after introduction and that's because nobody, including the primary sponsors, are interested in them. As an alternative, I'd suggest watching for any bill with an interesting subject matter that is getting a hearing by any committee in either house. That means that at least one legislator is seriously interested in getting it passed. And the prime indicator of something as likely to become law is that there is at least one legislator who is seriously interested in passing it. So, in the end, don't bother reading bill introductions. Instead, read committee agendas for what is getting a hearing. (And, the way the Lege works, just because the bill ultimately stalls somewhere just means that it may reappear in an appropriation or mini-garbage bill sometime later. And that's because that one legislator knows not to give up just because of one stall.) So, watch committee agendas and not introductions. Steve Cross Prospect Park REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
[Mpls] Proposed legislation affecting Minneapolis
House Bill 342 (Minneapolis Tax Increment Finance District Duration Extension): Introduced by Rep. Karen Clark on January 20, 2005, to remove the time limit on a redevelopment tax increment financing district in Minneapolis (SF413 Companion Bill). Details and Comments: http://www.minnesotavotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=31998 Senate Bill 413 (Minneapolis Tax Increment Finance District Duration Extension): Introduced by Sen. Linda Berglin on January 20, 2005, to remove the time limit on a redevelopment tax increment financing district in Minneapolis (HF342 Companion Bill). Details and Comments: http://www.minnesotavotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=31983 House Bill 295 (Minneapolis School Board Members by District): Introduced by Rep. Karen Clark, Rep. Jim Davnie, Rep. Keith Ellison, Rep. Frank Hornstein, Rep. Phyllis Kahn, Rep. Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Rep. Diane Loeffler, Rep. Joe Mullery, Rep. Jean Wagenius and Rep. Neva Walker on January 20, 2005, to elect six of the nine Minneapolis school board members by district, and the other three at-large. For now, the districts would correspond with the Parks Board election districts. After 2010, the school board could determine the districts (corresponding with the park districts or otherwise) as long as the districts have as equal in population as practicable and be composed of compact, contiguous territory (SF358 Companion Bill). Details and Comments: http://www.minnesotavotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=31952 House Bill 283 (Shubert Center in Minneapolis Spending): Introduced by Rep. Karen Clark, Rep. Gregory Davids, Rep. Jim Davnie, Rep. Dan Dorman, Rep. Keith Ellison, Rep. Ron Erhardt, Rep. Rick Hansen, Rep. Alice Hausman, Rep. Debra Hilstrom, Rep. Mary Liz Holberg, Rep. Frank Hornstein, Rep. Phyllis Kahn, Rep. Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Rep. Karen Klinzing, Rep. Paul Kohls, Rep. Doug Magnus, Rep. Carlos Mariani, Rep. Bud Nornes, Rep. Neil W. Peterson, Rep. Tom Rukavina, Rep. Anthony (Tony) Sertich, Rep. Loren Solberg, Rep. Barb Sykora, Rep. Cy Thao, Rep. Paul Thissen, Rep. Neva Walker and Rep. Kurt Zellers on January 20, 2005, to spend $12 million from state bonds to construct an atrium for the Minnesota Shubert Center in Minneapolis (SF258 Companion Bill). Details and Comments: http://www.minnesotavotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=31917 House Bill 313 (Street Utility Fees Allowed by Municipalities): Introduced by Rep. Michael Beard, Rep. Frank Hornstein, Rep. Morrie Lanning, Rep. Bernie Lieder and Rep. Michael Nelson on January 20, 2005, to allow municipalities to impose street utility fees by a two-third vote of the governing body after notice and a public hearing. Municipalities would be required to develop a master plan for the following five years in order to impose the fee, and the fee could only be used for specific projects listed in the plan. The fee would have to be calculated based on the relationship of the revenues the municipality proposes to generate and a trip-generated rate for each type of land use based on the Institute of Traffic Engineers Trip Generation Manual. This new fee would not restrict the municipality from imposing special assessments, incuring bond debt or increasing property taxes (SF366 Companion Bill). Details and Comments: http://www.minnesotavotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=31827 House Bill 349 (Local Government Grants for Memorials): Introduced by Rep. Jim Abeler, Rep. Patti Fritz, Rep. Alice Hausman, Rep. Frank Hornstein and Rep. Margaret Anderson Kelliher on January 20, 2005, to spend $2.5 million from state bonds for grants to cities and counties to provide grave markers or memorial monuments for unmarked graves at the cemeteries of former or current state hospitals or regional treatment centers. Details and Comments: http://www.minnesotavotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=32005 Relayed by Vicky Heller North Oaks and Cedar-Riverside REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:mpls@mnforum.org Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
