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STATUS OF MAJOR ISSUES IN THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION BONDING Associated Press
Minnesotas credit card will probably get minimal use this year after a couple years of heavy activity. Last years public works bill rang up at $999 million, on top of a $962 million package the year before. Lawmakers have said they might borrow for some projects this year, but wont tackle another megabill until next year. A significant renovation of the state Capitol, which wouldnt start until late 2008, could get some seed money.
BUDGET
This is job one of the 2007 session. Minnesotas current budget expires in June. Its two-year replacement should easily top $34 billion. Of course, theres a fight over the details. Finance officials projected a $2.1 billion surplus - some of it in one-time money and other in recurring funds - but Democrats argue that the overage barely covers inflation in current programs. For now, Democratic leaders arent calling for a general tax increase, although some are pushing for changes in the business tax code. It remains to be seen how much new money schools will get and whether homeowners can count on the state to ease rising property taxes.
EDUCATION
Focus on young kids or the older ones? Thats the big question in this debate. House leaders are determined to expand all-day, everyday kindergarten to more schools. Gov. Tim Pawlenty places greater emphasis on changing the high school culture. And Senate leaders are proposing to spend more state dollars on helping schools meet their special education expenses. All three are expensive propositions, so itll be hard to do everything. On the higher education front, a hoped-for tuition freeze is probably too ambitious this year, but lawmakers could impose regulations on textbook sales.
ELECTIONS
Minnesotas registration laws already feed tops-in-the-nation turnout. But getting on the voter rolls could be even easier if the Legislature adopts a bill promoted by Secretary of State Mark Ritchie. It would automatically register voters when they get a drivers license or a state ID card. Other election bills under consideration would move the state primary election date up by a few months, and establish a winter nonbinding primary for voters to weigh in on the presidential race.
ENERGY
The stars aligned on this one - and fast. Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed a law requiring utilities to ramp up production of electricity from renewable sources like solar rays, water and wind. Electricity producers must get a quarter of their power from green sources by 2025, with dominant provider Xcel Energy required to meet a 30 percent by 2020 standard. Lawmakers are also weighing bills aiming to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and boost energy conservation.
ENVIRONMENTAL AMENDMENT
Long thwarted in their quest for money to protect natural habitats, Minnesota sportsmen are giving it another shot this year. But the effort is threatened yet again by recurring disagreements over the scope of a constitutional amendment - and whether the arts should get a cut. The most expansive plan would raise the sales tax 3/8ths of a percent and let zoos, museums and public broadcasting in on the cash. The tightest proposal would take 1/8th of a percent from existing sales tax receipts and earmark it for hunting and fishing habitats exclusively.
HEALTH CARE
The early impression that this would be the year for universal health coverage wore off after leaders looked at the budget and scaled back their plans. And theyre still split over the governments role in filling health care gaps. Gov. Tim Pawlenty is pushing tax breaks on health insurance and a private version of the affordable MinnesotaCare program. A key DFL senator has keyed in on large numbers of uninsured who already qualify for public programs; she would expand outreach efforts and make other changes to increase enrollment. The lead House DFLer on health care wants a Massachusetts-style mandate requiring all Minnesotans to buy health insurance by 2011. One thing is becoming clear: Panels and commissions will be appointed to develop a plan for universal coverage late this year, and the issue could jump to the top of 2008s agenda.
SOCIAL ISSUES
Conflagrations of recent years over social issues have died down under the new DFL regime, but a few embers still flicker. Proposals to offer same-sex domestic partner benefits to state employees and allow municipalities to do the same are pitting familiar faces against each other in the gay marriage debate. On the abortion front, the conversation has shifted to family planning funds and sex education in public schools. On immigration, a Democratic plan to give in-state tuition to illegal immigrants is stoutly opposed by Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty. One social issue has more momentum than ever this year: Legalizing medical marijuana for those suffering from cancer and other debilitating diseases. But Pawlenty is skeptical.
SMOKING BAN
So far, a statewide smoking ban has faced down its biggest detractors and come out virtually unscathed. Even opponents concede that the bill will probably pass this year. The proposal to outlaw smoking in taverns, restaurants and other workplaces has broad support in both houses and from Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Bars have put up the biggest fight. The current House version would delay the bans implementation until 2009, but dangles a liquor tax break before establishments that make the change sooner. The next hearings will focus on the costs of putting the ban into effect.
STADIUM
After more than a decade of stadium discussions, its been eerily quiet this year. The Twins and Gophers both walked away winners in 2006. The Vikings are still after a public subsidy for a new football stadium, but they dont have a concrete plan to sell yet. The teams partnership with Anoka County on a suburban stadium evaporated, so the Vikings are now eyeing land in Minneapolis. The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission could finalize a redevelopment study by Easter, which would probably mark the kickoff of the latest Vikings push. Separately, there are efforts by St. Paul lawmakers to get debt relief on a loan for the Xcel Energy Center, where the Wild play.
STEM CELLS
Cutting-edge science is tangled with moral concerns over human embryos, and has set up a showdown between the Legislature and Gov. Tim Pawlenty. A bill that would allow the University of Minnesota to use state money on embryonic stem cell research is advancing through committees. Pawlenty wants tighter limits on the kinds of research that the money could go for, saying the destruction of human embryos is problematic. But Democrats say they dont want to limit the scientific promise, which they say could lead to cures for diabetes, multiple sclerosis and other debilitating diseases.
TRANSPORTATION
The dividing lines are sharply drawn here. The House and Senate are almost certain to pass a road funding bill that includes an increase in the gas tax despite Gov. Tim Pawlentys promise to veto it. The intrigue surrounds the effort to round up 90 House votes and 45 Senate votes for a potential override. Some Republicans would have to defect. The Legislatures transportation funding bills could also boost vehicle registration fees and local sales taxes. Pawlenty has suggested using newly dedicated vehicle tax revenue as leverage in long-term borrowing for road work.
VETERANS MEASURES
With 2,600 members of the Minnesota National Guard experiencing an extended deployment in Iraq, proposals to help them when they get back - and other troops and veterans - have taken on a new urgency. Gov. Tim Pawlenty has a $75 million veterans plan that includes tuition aid and income tax breaks, and lawmakers are pushing for those and other measures. They also reacted sharply to the deaths of three veterans linked to recent errors in care at the Minneapolis Veterans Home.
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