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Capitol Review is a weekly look at what your state legislators are doing at the Minnesota Capitol—how they're voting, the bills they're writing and the issues they're getting behind. Sen. Ron Latz (DFL-District 44) praised Gov. Mark Dayton for finding the right balance between bipartisanship and principles in the State of the State speech he made Wednesday. “I thought he struck a tone of moderate approach and willingness to work on a bipartisan basis—but also that there are lines that won’t be crossed,” Latz said. While Dayton called for parties to work together on issues ranging from jobs to the Vikings stadium, he also slammed Republicans for introducing legislation that he called “campaign literature” because he’ll inevitably veto the proposals. Republicans said …
Senate District 44 legislators agree on much—but the three lawmakers have a range of sometimes-conflicting opinions when it comes to gambling. Sen. Ron Latz (DFL-District 44), Rep. Steve Simon (DFL-District 44A) and Rep. Ryan Winkler (DFL-District 44B) discussed their thoughts on gambling after a man at a St. Louis Park town hall Wednesday suggested that the state was leaving money on the table by not signing off on a casino in downtown Minneapolis’ Block E or a “racino”—a combined racetrack and casino. Latz said he doesn’t have a philosophical opposition to gambling, noting that church …
Voter ID State Rep. Steve Simon (DFL-District 44A) thinks there could be a way to bridge the voter ID divide. The Hopkins legislator advocated for an electronic poll book—an electronic system that would store photos and information at the polling location. Voters would show up and be verified against the computer, but they wouldn’t necessarily have to bring their own ID. “I think that’s the wave of the future,” he said. (Watch a discussion of the technology in the first YouTube clip above.) Voter ID has become a flashpoint between Republicans and DFLers. Numerous people testified Wednesday in…
Pushing through legislation is rarely easy for lawmakers in the minority. That trend continued for Hopkins legislators, both of whom are DFLers in a Republican-controlled Legislature. Despite their minority status, they still managed to shepherd a handful of proposals through the legislative process. But many more of their bills stalled or never even got a hearing. Here’s a comprehensive look at how their bills fared this year. Sen. Ron Latz (DFL-District 44) Bills introduced: 21 Passed: 4 (Note: Includes companion bills listed below under Rep. Steve Simon.) Claims Against the State (SF0044…
Hopkins Rep. Steve Simon (DFL-District 44A) re-engaged in the voter ID debate Thursday when he said polls don't tell the whole story of the issue. He said that when asked the question by a pollster, people say requiring a photo ID to vote makes sense because they don't know enough about it. The problem, he said, is it's a big cost for a small problem—not just for the dollars it will take, but how it will "fence out" thousands of honest voters from voting. Although there have been attempts to soften the blow on Minnesota's most vulnerable groups, such as veterans or the elderly, the Republican…
Hopkins Sen. Ron Latz (DFL-District 44) blames legislative delays on Republicans caught between campaign rhetoric and political realities. In a reversal of fortune, Republicans now face criticism for moving too slow on the budget process. DFLers point out that last year’s House and Senate both passed budget plans by the end of this week in the session. Just a little over a month ago, DFL lawmakers said the GOP was moving too fast to pass bills limiting the scope of government. Latz noted that the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, on which he serves, passed its omnibus-spending bill and …
Last week, Minnesota legislators returned to their home districts for their traditional Passover and Easter break. With the break over and the session set to resume today, Hopkins Patch took a look at some of the key bills authored by your legislators—Sen. Ron Latz (DFL-District 44) and Rep. Steve Simon (DFL-District 44A). Sen. Ron Latz School District Fund Flexibility (SF0166) What it does: Allows school districts to use operating capital for certain school closing costs. Introduced: Jan. 31 Status: No action since introduction; still in the Education Committee. Simon has sponsored a …
Hopkins’ state senator thinks Republican cuts to public safety go too far. Sen. Ron Latz (DFL-District 44), of St. Louis Park, and other Democratic senators tried to increase funding for select parts of the $1.2 billion omnibus bill. But the bill cleared the Senate’s Judiciary and Public Safety Committee on Friday below the governor’s recommendation. Committees are trying to hit spending targets set by Republican leaders in an effort to close the state’s deficit. Republicans aim to do that without additional revenue, such as new taxes. DFLers prefer a mix of cuts and new taxes. As a …
With 2010 Census numbers coming out last week, Hopkins Rep. Steve Simon (DFL-District 44A), of St. Louis Park, wants to renew a push for a bill that he thinks could help de-politicize the redistricting process. Simon’s proposal calls for a panel of five retired judges to draw the boundaries of legislative and congressional districts every 10 years. Each party would get a hand in selecting the commission—the majority leader of the Senate, the minority leader of the Senate, the speaker of the House and the minority leader of the House would each appoint one member. The four judges would then …
Hopkins Rep. Steve Simon (DFL-District 44A), of St. Louis Park, had a very simple reaction to budget targets released by House Republican leadership last week. “I’m disappointed,” Simon said, “but not surprised.” As expected, Republicans offered a plan that would attempt to balance the state’s projected $5 billion deficit through a series of spending cuts, rather than any tax increases. Among the planned cuts are $1.6 billion to health and human services, $850 million in tax aids and credits and $400 million to higher education. Overall, the Republican proposal calls for roughly $34 billion …
Hopkins Sen. Ron Latz (DFL-District 44) and Hopkins Rep. Steve Simon (DFL-District 44A), both of St. Louis Park, want to give businesses a break for upgrading old buildings. The “This Old Shop” bill—as the legislation they introduced Thursday is called—would give businesses a break on tax assessments that would likely increase with renovations and other investments into old buildings. That, in turn, would lead to lower taxes. The break would apply to buildings older than 45 years with a market value less than $2 million. The tax assessment increases would be abated for 10 years and then …
For the second time this session, Hopkins Rep. Steve Simon (DFL- District 44A), of St. Louis Park, finds himself grappling with a significant liquor bill. Two weeks after proposing a bill that would allow liquor stores to sell their own branded merchandise, Simon and his House colleagues are now considering a bill that would give breweries the ability to sell glasses of their own beer on-site. The House bill was introduced Thursday, three days after the legislation was proposed in the Senate. While the bill would extend rights to all breweries, it is being introduced now because the Brooklyn …
Hopkins Rep. Steve Simon (DFL-District 44A) said Gov. Mark Dayton’s budget, which was released last week, most likely won’t be the ultimate solution at the Legislature, although he called it a good start. Dayton’s two-year, $37 billion budget calls for $4.2 billion in tax increases—many of which would be levied against the state’s top earners—but also a number of cuts, including $680 million to health and human services. Simon said he disagrees with Dayton on the specific threshold used to set the newly proposed top income tax rate of 10.95 percent—up from the current top rate of 7.85 percent…
Budget battles It’s back to the drawing board for state lawmakers trying to balance the budget. Republican legislators pushed through a bill on a party-line vote that would cut the deficit by $900 million. DFL Gov. Mark Dayton, who criticized the proposal through the process, vetoed the bill within hours of its passage. Without enough votes to override the veto, lawmakers will have to set to work drafting a new plan. Even though the final result was predictable, the proposal was a contentious one in the weeks leading up to the vote. Hopkins Sen. Ron Latz (DFL-District 44), of St. Louis Park…
Budget woes The partisan rift over a solution for the Minnesota's budget woes continued to divide the state Legislature last week. Republicans said “it is the wrong time to take out the credit card” when Gov. Mark Dayton proposed a $1 billion bonding bill intended to spur job growth. Meanwhile, DFLers criticized Republicans for speeding through a plan to shave $1 billion off the forecasted deficit. Both debates rankled local legislators. Hopkins Sen. Ron Latz (DFL-District 44), of St. Louis Park, said putting forward a bonding bill right now is actually the fiscally responsible decision. Latz…
Hopkins Rep. Steve Simon (DFL-District 44A), of St. Louis Park, was among a number of Democrats who lashed out against a Republican proposal to require a photo ID be produced before someone is allowed to vote. Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer (R-District 16B), of Big Lake, who authored the bill, said the measure is simply a sensible way to better regulate the voting process and ensure no one votes fraudulently. Yet Simon said the bill could keep a number of deserving voters—namely, seniors who may no longer have a valid form of photo ID—away from the polls, while also costing the state more money during a…
A controversial Republican budget proposal dominated news at the state Capitol last week, and Hopkins’ legislators, both DFLers, fired off strong broadsides against the plan. “It looks to me like they are leaping forward without much forethought—and without much independent analysis—to a very cut and dried proposal that even contradicts their own goals,” said Sen. Ron Latz. The plan, introduced Tuesday, proposes cutting $840 million of the $6.2 billion deficit by keeping spending at 2011 fiscal year levels for local governments, higher education and certain other groups. It asks state …
Sen. Ron Latz Sen. Ron Latz expects that his position as the ranking DFL member on the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee will require him to spend most of his time resolving large budget issues instead of pursuing individual bills. “That probably will be the most significant work this session,” he said. Still, Latz has already introduced two bills (detailed below) and is considering introducing others. Among those he’s considering is a bill to expand the expungement of criminal records. Latz introduced an expungement-reform bill last year that included several changes, including opening …
Editor's Note: Capitol Review is a weekly look at what your state legislators are doing at the Minnesota Capitol—how they're voting, the bills they're writing and the issues they're getting behind. Come back to Patch every Monday for a new Capitol Review. The 2011 session of the Minnesota State Legislature just got underway Tuesday, and Hopkins’ legislators already expect battles over the Southwest Light Rail project. “I believe there is going to be efforts to cut this year’s request to the state for their contribution to the proposed Southwest Light Rail project,” said state Sen. Ron Latz…
