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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Minnesota’s first Latina state senator lays out her first session
Wednesday 30 May @ 13:08:12 |
 
by DENNIS GEISINGER
Minnesota’s DFL leaders delivered on at least some of the promise of the 2006 watershed election that swept them to majorities in both houses of the 2007 legislature, while Minnesota’s Republican governor has used the “savings” he sliced from state programs to promote himself to higher on the list of 2008 U.S. vice presidential hopefuls.
Such was the feeling at a Friday, May 25 Capitol press conference held especially for Minneapolis independent media. The meeting with South Minneapolis reporters and editors was arranged and hosted by Minnesota State Senator Patricia Torres Ray, DFL-Minneapolis, whose first year in the state legislature found her serving as the Senate’s Majority Whip, taking on duties that included maintaining caucus discipline on partisan issues and procedural questions. Her influence was vital in the last hours of haggling over bill provisions.
“Minnesota schools will receive additional funding, (state) homeowners will receive property tax relief and college students will receive additional college aid to defray tuition costs,” said the senator last Friday, recounting this session’s legislative achievements.
“Property taxes were a huge issue,” said Torres Ray about her one-on-one contact with constituents. According to Torres Ray, it is especially older city residents who are being hammered by double-digit property tax increases.
“We were able to contain some of additional increases on property taxes,” she said.
“People living on fixed incomes are not able to profit from the equity they had earned from their homes because property taxes are eating them up,” said Torres Ray. According to the senator, changing the state tax system was high on her party’s to-do list when the session began.
Torres told local media that it became clear from studies conducted by the DFL leadership that individuals with higher incomes (from $300,000 to $400,000 per year) had benefited in significant ways from the increase in property values and capital income, while those with lower incomes did not.
“That’s why it seems more fair to tax income instead of property,” said Torres Ray said.
The omnibus tax bill passed during the last two days of the session will provide up to $377.5 million in permanent tax relief through 2011, an amount significantly pared down because of Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s veto of tax increases for the state’s richest 1 percent.
A proposed tax increase for those in Minnesota’s highest income brackets was passed by both the House and Senate and was one of the first of the session’s initiatives to fall under Pawlenty’s veto power.
“One of the most disappointing aspects of the Senate session was not being able to change the tax system,” said Torres Ray. “Unfortunately, the governor didn’t support tax reform,” she said.
“Education and heath care were the other two big issues with constituents,” said Torres Ray.
“The only bill we feel confident the governor will sign at this point is the education bill,” said Torres. The bill would add $800 million in additional funding to state schools, $326 million or more than 40 percent of the total to pick up the state’s share of special education funding.
“Different school districts asked for money for different programs,” Torres said of her discussions with state educators. “But the common denominator we found in all these requests is a need for more ‘special needs’ funding,” she said.
“Special needs” is an umbrella covering many issues that place an added strain on school budgets, according to Torres Ray. When a child cannot achieve a certain level of required skills--ranging from language proficiency to proper behavior within the school’s institution--the child is identified as a ‘special needs’ child and one who needs more attention and resources.
The 2007 legislature also appropriated $6 million for gifted/talented programs, which works out to be about $12 additional per child per year over the next bienniem.
Tuition relief in higher education holds down tuition increases to a seven-year low while increasing funds for financial aid, according to the DFL Senate Caucus.
The governor’s veto pen was also busy on last Friday, cutting a welfare-to-work provision and an economic development initiative from state budget bills, as well as stopping a plan for a statewide health insurance pool for school district employees.
“What we tried to say to this governor was, ‘You’re going to stop cutting,’” said Torres Ray.
“This governor has done some very clever things when reporting (the state) budget,” she said.
“He’s cut the funding for this program or that program and then said, ‘Look at all the money I’ve saved.’”
“It’s like saying when you get your salary to pay your mortgage, as this governor has said, ‘I’m not going to pay the mortgage, I’m going to save it,’” said Torres Ray.
“And look what’s happening because of it--schools are closing, teachers are being fired,” she said.
“We are never going to repay the damage that’s been done,” Torres Ray said.
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