I believe that government can improve people’s lives and help make Minnesota a good place to live, yet I also believe in liberty.  So for every law you make that hammers people, you have to pass one to let them breathe a little more freely.  I have worked on many bills to further the cause of liberty, including legislation to allow:

• private use of safe fireworks
• motorists to exceed the speed limit by 10 mph when passing another vehicle
• terminally ill patients to use marijuana to relieve pain and suffering under a physician’s oversight

Fair, Progressive Taxes

Fair, progressive taxes based on income are the most reasonable way to fund the needed functions of government and I have authored and supported legislation consistently to make taxes fair.

I proposed legislation to add a surtax to income taxes that would blink on when during economic crises and blink off during normal economic times.

I authored legislation to tax credit card companies for excess interest rates – over 15% — but the Governor protected the business interests.

In the interest of tax fairness, I worked to reduce property tax burdens and increases.

Equal Rights and Opportunity for Everyone

I am committed to equal rights for all regardless of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation and I have authored many pieces of legislation to ensure those rights including equal rights for domestic partners.

In funding the University of Minnesota, I included special appropriations for the cost of programs to preserve and teach the Ojibwe and Dakota languages.

I have supported legislation to provide fair funding for all schools regardless of location or of the populations served in order to meet different needs of diverse populations.

I helped create one tuition level in selected community and technical colleges to increase access for all Minnesotans.

Tax Rebates for the Disabled

To support vets who have protected this country, I authored legislation providing property tax rebates for those who are disabled

Gulf War Bonuses

After the Persian Gulf war, I sponsored legislation to give bonuses to veterans who fought in that conflict.

Tuition Benefits

To help vets reintegrate into civilian life, I have worked to increase tuition benefits for returning veterans

Physical and Mental Health Screening

I passed legislation this year to provide physical and mental health screening for all National Guard members returning from combat

Biomass Fuel Use

Working with local public utility plants in northern Minnesota, I authored legislation to convert them to biomass fuel use, a model that can be applied statewide using local available crops and supporting local farmers instead of sending our money to western states for coal purchasing.

To control costs and improve sustainability, I supported legislation allowing the conversion of K-12 schools around the state to biofuels for heat.

Windmills

I sponsored legislation to invest state money to create a windmill blade manufacturing plant.

Research for Organic Farmers

With my belief that future economic success comes from carefully funded applied research, I supported legislation to invest in research for organic farmers including crops, livestock and dairy farming to increase their success and expansion.

Support for Outdoor Heritage

I’ve authored legislation and supported access to Minnesota’s great outdoor heritage including funding of biking and hiking areas such as the 132 mile Mesabi Trail.

Prescription drugs are critical but not always affordable, so I took on the Governor and more than a dozen pharmaceutical lobbyists to give access to discounted prescriptions for families with no prescription insurance that would have saved them an average of 38% on costs.  Money to administer the program was vetoed, but I will reinstate it when I am elected

I opposed the Governor’s pennywise and pound foolish cuts to MinnesotaCare because the program provides affordable basic care to uninsured working Minnesotans who otherwise will go to expensive emergency hospitals

After the Governor’s Department of Health admitted to hiding the mine workers’ deaths from mesothelioma, I shifted the study of the deaths from that department to the medical school at the U of M and funded their work toward understanding causes and discovering cure for workers exposed to lung damage

With careful controls, I passed legislation to allow terminally ill patients to use medical marijuana with physician’s oversight, but the Governor didn’t think dying Minnesotans and their doctors could be trusted so he vetoed the bill

With a Republican majority in the House, and over repeated veto threats and demands that workers’ tips be offset, I increased the state minimum wage without taking tip money.

To support American manufacturing and union workers, I made Minnesota the only state in the country to require that American flags sold in the state, as well as uniforms and safety equipment required for public employees, must be made in USA

Taking a cue from former DFL Governor Rudy Perpich, I tried to reinstate successful legislation (Minnesota Emergency Employment Program) from his to help small businesses hire unemployed workers desperate for jobs, but the Governor refused to go along

To protect workers from “outsourcing,” I authored legislation requiring companies to give at least a 90 day notice before shipping American jobs overseas

To increase the likelihood that mining or manufacturing closures are temporary, I passed a requirement that facilities be maintained for two years to allow for sale or reopening, which has helped save thousands of jobs over the years

Higher Education

In 1993, I created the Iron Range Scholarship Endowment dedicating mine royalties to support Minnesota resident freshmen at each U of M campus, with scholarships awarded in proportion to resident enrollment at each campus, More  than 12,000 students have received scholarships totaling over $14 million – the University of Minnesota’s largest endowed scholarship program.

With tuition increasing about 50% between 2000 and 2006, I made it a priority to keep MnSCU tuition increases under 5% each year I’ve been chair of the higher education finance committee

Despite the Governor’s objections, I supported permanent funding for the Mayo/U of M Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics, to maintain the critical jobs and benefits that bioscience investment brings to Minnesota.

I created a research endowment for mineral research at the U of M Natural Resources Research Institute, with an investment of more than $14 million thus far, to keep the state in the forefront on the wise use of its resources.  Without research support, the U of M would not have developed a process to convert low grade ore into taconite, and there would be no thriving Iron Range today.

While supporting financial aid for low income students, I also established a middle income scholarship program for U of M students from families up to $100 thousand income who don’t qualify for other grant programs

To protect access to and quality in MnSCU instruction, I directed appropriations to be used to increase spending in the classroom, not on bureaucracy.

K-12

I have made school trust and permanent school fund lands a priority, improving their management and the value of the lands, resulting in more money to all school districts

Quality of schools can’t depend on where you live so I sponsored legislation to provide fair funding for all schools around the state.