Apple Valley Legislators Talk Priorities for 2012 Session

The Minnesota Legislature convenes for its 2012 session at noon Tuesday. Patch caught up with the legislators who represent Apple Valley—Rep. Kurt Bills (R-District 37B), Rep. Tara Mack (R-District 37A) and Sen. Chris Gerlach (R-District 37)—to get a sense of their priorities for and outlook on the session and more.

This year's regular session is 10 weeks long, compared to 16 weeks in 2011, Mack said, so it's likely to get off to a quick start.

Gerlach said though the state government shutdown from July "seems like ancient history," he hopes legislators have learned from it and could potentially look at a measure to avoid future shutdowns.

He also said that there shouldn't be any bleedover into this session from the change in Republican leadership during the session break, when Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch resigned after allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a staffer.

Mack said the mood at the Capitol "has really been up and down over the last few months," but there should be a bright spot in not dealing with a budget crunch, after a surplus was forecasted in November.

"I’m focusing … on staying positive on that and seeing how we can continue to move Minnesota forward," she said.

Legislation

Each legislator highlighted legislation they hope to work on this session.

Bills

A veterans-related bill that Bills authored in 2011 should be brought to the table again 2012, he said, and should have bipartisan support. It would create a refundable tax credit for returning veterans who go back to their previous employment; though this measure is in place at the federal level, Bills said his bill would give the veteran more power in the situation.

Bills said he'd also like to focus on restructuring the property tax system.

"Our property tax system is so absolutely confusing," he said. "So, I would like to work with the county and local officials … with people who have specific knowledge on taxation to try to simplify that problem."

Gerlach

Two issues Gerlach plans to address during the session are the idea of allowing creation of public benefit corporations, and creating greater stipulations to institute professional licensing.

A public benefit corporation merges the positive aspects of nonprofits and for-profit corporations, Gerlach said. The public benefit corporation can serve a public purpose as nonprofits do, but does not have to have the high returns a for-profit would be obligated to have.

That gap is invested in a public purpose, and investors know this up front, he said. In turn, there's a solid business model in place to maintain capital, which nonprofits can lack.

Gerlach is working on the bill with Sen. John Marty (DFL-Roseville).

Gerlach, who is the chair of the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee, also said he believes there should be "higher hurdles" to create a licensing requirement for professions. 

When a person's health or safety is at risk in relation to a particular profession, that profession should require a license, he said. But, he said, some occupations have licensing requirements that don't serve a public purpose, and that can lead to a restriction of the labor supply.

"I am about tearing down those barriers … where public health and safety is not at risk," he said.

Mack

Mack said she'll continue to work on bills this session to streamline how county government employees process applications and information for people applying to state assistance programs.

Some of the technology is "archaic," and the processes can bog down employees, she said.

She also will work on a bill to change Minnesota's safe haven law, which stipulates that if a baby is left anonymously at a hospital, it must receive care for 48 hours. This "critical piece of legislation" would extend that to seven days, she said.

Bonding

Gerlach and Mack said they think bonding should be focused on asset preservation—fixing the state properties and projects that already exist.

Gov. Mark Dayton's proposal, which , included local projects and new or additional building footage that Gerlach said he doesn't support.

"We should be absolutely all about taking care of what we have," he said, and focus more on things like roofing, remodeling or heating and cooling systems.

Those types of projects put people to work faster, Mack said. 

Bills said he generally isn't in favor of bonding, and would like to re-evaluate the principles used to determine bonding priorities.

"We should pay as we go for as many things as we possibly can…" he said. "We can’t just keep throwing on more and more debt."

Mack also said she thinks the needs more money than the $7 million Dayton proposed, for some projects "that really need to be done."

Budget

Mack said a "bright spot" during this session should be that the state budget likely won't dominate the session; November's forecast showed a projected $876 million surplus, which means legislators can "hopefully focus on good policy," she said.

Gerlach said the surplus could be attributed to a combination of factors, including Republicans' budget management, as well as realizing savings on some expenses.

The surplus should be used to put into reserves in the cash flow, he said, for making a down payment on school shift buyback and possibly making changes to property taxes.

There is still a structural deficit that extends beyond this year, Gerlach said, and legislators and the state will need to work to "bring these cost curves down."

Vikings Stadium

"I don’t know right now if the 'should we' debate is over yet" in regards to a potential new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings, Bills said.

What legislators could say at this point is whether they are for or against the concept, Gerlach said, because the issues of location, cost and funding source aren't settled.

"Until you have those major issues settled, there is no proposal," he said. "The number of votes will change dramatically with whatever the plan is."

Gerlach and Mack said they're generally opposed to taxpayer subsidies funding professional sports activities.

"I think it’s a travesty that we even have to deal with these issues," Gerlach said.

Mack said she does think it's positive to have a south-metro location option on the table, with the addition of a proposal from Shakopee.

2012 Election

Bills and Mack both will run for re-election in 2012, they said; Bills is in the midst of his first term, while Mack is in her second.

Depending on the outcome of state redistricting in February, Bills' likely opponent will be Jeff Wilfahrt of Rosemount, who earlier this month.

Gerlach said he doesn't think the shakeup in Republican leadership will have an effect on the election—people care more about the product of legislators' work, he said.