11. MORE SOCIAL SPENDING, INSTEAD OF DEBT PAYMENTS: The City of St. Paul took out huge state loans to build the Xcel Energy Center and the adjoining RiverCentre convention complex. Now, the city wants to spend money on other things, instead of making its promised payments on the bonds. Rep. Alice Hausman (D-St. Paul) wants the Legislature to forgive the rest of the $65 million owed to the state on the Xcel arena and the $43 million owed to the state on the convention center. (House Files 859 and 860)
12. WITH DAY-CARE AND PINK-SLIPS FOR ALL: Remember those television ads for the insurance company with whales? When California imposed tax increases on companies with business in other states, Pacific Mutual moved its whales, employees, and tax base from the West Coast to Omaha. Rep. Frank Hornstein (D-Minneapolis) wants to chase more Minnesota jobs out of the state. He wants to impose similar tax increases on large employers in order to provide child care subsidies to almost every family in the state. The subsidies would be paid to every family with income of less than 75% of the state median income (almost every family with pre-school children), and pay for it with more taxes on large employers. Do Minnesotans remember working for former resident firms such as Control Data, Tonka, Cray Computers, and Honeywell? Jobs can and do leave unfriendly places. (House File 912)
13. I’LL BUY THAT CAR FOR $40 MILLION: Rep. Frank Hornstein (D-Minneapolis) would give you a tax credit for buying an “alternative fuel” car. If you don’t owe any Minnesota income taxes, the state will pay you the 10% as a cash refund. The bill has no limit on the 10% credit, the refund, the price of the car, or how long you own it. You could buy a $40,000 car for $40 million, sell the car back to the dealer for $38 million, and keep $2 million. What a country! (House File 1002)
14. I REMEMBER 10th GRADE AS THE BEST FOUR YEARS OF MY LIFE: Rep. Jim Davnie (D-Minneapolis) wants to raise the age of eligibility to 23 for students to continue in the “graduation incentives program” to finish high school. (House File 987)
15. ALLOW 16-YEAR-OLDS TO VOTE IN SCHOOL ELECTIONS: MN Rep.Phyllis Khan (D-Minneapolis) first wanted 16-year-olds to vote in school board elections. (House File 428)
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