http://www.leagueofruralvoters.org/resources/articles.html Today is the first day of the filing period for political office. County, state, and federal candidates have until July 15 to submit their paperwork at the Secretary of State's office or in their county of residence. <p> http://www.leagueofruralvoters.org/resources/articles/minnesota-secretary-of-state-city-of.html Mon, 30 Jun 2008 21:54:14 GMT <p> • Encouraging Greater Minnesota counties adopting or updating comprehensive plans to consider open space goals. The initiative is entitled the President Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Bill to Preserve Agricultural, Forest, Wildlife, and Open Space Land. And; • Establishment of an agricultural and open space task force to study state and local policies regarding land preservation, with a report due to the Legislature by Jan. 30, 2009. The bill was authored by Representative Al Junhke, (DFL-Willmar) and Senator Jim Vickerman, (DFL-Tracy) <p> The Minnesota Department of Agriculture will see its General Fund appropriation increased by $188,000, primarily due to a one-time $1 million allocation for grants for a new livestock investment program. The increase is offset by a one-time $310,000 reduction in ethanol producer payments for an ethanol plant that ceased operations, a general reduction of $302,000 and a $200,000 reduction for an Elk River bio-energy product. <p> The $21.3 million decrease for transportation, the most controversial is transferring $15 million from an airport development and assistance fund to the General Fund. The provision was not in the initial House or Senate proposal. Critics noted the money was taken from the fund during the 2003 budget shortfall and it took four years to get the money back. The law provides $6.85 million in one-time money from the Trunk Highway Fund to take advantage of federal funds for bridge construction. It also reduces Greater Minnesota transit funding by $32,000 in Fiscal Year 2009. <p> A $1.75 surcharge is to be imposed on each fee collected for a driver’s license, permit and identification card, vehicle registration renewal and title applications from July 1, 2008, to June 30, 2012. The money is to be used for a new computer information system within the Driver and Vehicle Services Division of the Public Safety Department. <p> As part of the transportation finance law, sponsored by Rep. Bernie Lieder (DFL-Crookston) and Sen. Steve Murphy (DFL-Red Wing), counties outside the metropolitan area, or counties working together under a joint powers agreement, can impose a sales tax of up to 0.5 percent and a $20 excise tax on vehicles sold at retail. But unlike the metropolitan area, the money can be raised only if approved by a voter referendum, and can only be used for a specific project. The tax expires once the project is completed. <p> For further detail on the legislation mentioned above, please visit the Minnesota House of Representatives web site. http://www.leagueofruralvoters.org/resources/articles/newlegislationthattakeseffectjuly12008.html Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:44:46 GMT On Tuesday, the U.S. House passed the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 in a vote of 355 to 59. <p> According to the Washington Post, Representative John D. Dingell of Michigan, failure to pass this legislation would mean that "physicians will face a 10 percent pay cut that jeopardizes access to care for seniors and the disabled." Representative Dingell is chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which held author the bill. <p> Among the pieces included in the legislation: *elimination of the 10 percent cut in Medicare payments to physicians for the remainder of 2008 and provides a 1.1 percent update in Medicare physician payments for 2009. * reduces beneficiary out of pocket costs for mental health care; The White House has threatened to veto the bill, because they believe essentially, that it would, according to the Washington Post, "reduce services and benefits, particularly for elderly patients in rural areas." <p> Senate leadership hopes to bring the legislation to a vote later this week. <p> http://www.leagueofruralvoters.org/resources/articles/housepasseshealthcarelegislation.html Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:33:38 GMT <p> (Washington, D.C.) - Today, Congressman Tim Walz voted against H.R. 6304, legislation which makes changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA): <p> “There are many parts of this bill that I support. It reaffirms that FISA is the exclusive means for electronic surveillance, and it strengthens protections for Americans at home and abroad. If this was all that this bill included, I could support it. <p> “Unfortunately, the bill also contains an unprecedented free pass for the Bush Administration’s past actions. It does not allow judicial review of the Administration’s use of warrantless wiretaps, and the process it puts in place to review the telecommunications companies’ participation in that illegal program has a predetermined outcome – immunity. <p> “Incredibly, this bill actually says that as long as the telecommunications companies can prove that the Bush Administration told them this action was legal, they can get off scott-free. Today, my colleague Roy Blunt called the process of granting immunity to these telecoms ‘a formality.’ <p> “When Richard Nixon said that “when the President does it, that means it’s not illegal,” many Americans were horrified that any President would consider himself above the law. This legislation is even worse, because it essentially says ‘if the President tells you do so something, it’s not illegal,’ even if it violates the plain letter of the law. The process set out in this bill to rubberstamp the actions of the Bush Administration is contradictory to the rule of law in this country. <p> “This free pass for the phone companies isn’t needed to protect Americans – in fact, it protects only those in the Bush Administration who knowingly broke the law. We can protect our security while protecting our shared values and our freedoms. Unfortunately, this bill does not do that, and I have no choice but to oppose it. <p> “I have repeatedly said that I could not support a bill that provides a free pass for illegal behavior, no matter who committed it. Our laws matter, and they should be applied equally and fairly to the President, Congress, telecommunications companies, and every other citizen.” <p> http://www.leagueofruralvoters.org/resources/articles/representativetimwalzopposesfisaamendmentsact.html Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:08:50 GMT <p> Nearly 50 radio stations in a dozen Minnesota cities are teaming up to raise money for flood victims in southern Minnesota and Iowa. <p> "Send It South: Minnesota Radio's Relay for Relief" began at 7 a.m. Friday in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and will makes it way south before ending at 7 p.m. in Des Moines, Iowa. <p> For one hour, each participating market will host a local radiothon, and when they're done they "send it south" to the next market. <p> Hubbard Radio organized the radiothon. It hits the Twin Cities at 3 p.m. and will be broadcast locally on Hubbard stations KSTP-AM, KSTP-FM and WFMP-FM. <p> http://www.leagueofruralvoters.org/resources/articles/radiostationscollectfloodreliefforminniowa.html Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:00:06 GMT Today, Congressman Walz and Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide $180,000 in Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) funding to Houston County due to recent flooding that has destroyed agricultural land. <p> “The flooding in Houston County was devastating in many ways,” said Walz. “This emergency funding will help our farmers remove debris from farmland, restore fences and conservation structures and help restore farmland that was damaged by the floods.” <p> "This is one of several conservation programs that provide funding for farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate and strengthen environmental stewardship of their lands," Schafer said. "These new ECP funds will be used to help farmers and ranchers rehabilitate farmland damaged by floods and other natural disasters in recent years." <p> USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) state and county committees administer ECP. Locally-elected county committees are authorized to implement ECP for all disasters except drought, which is authorized at the national office of FSA. Eligible producers will receive cost-share assistance of up to 75 percent of the cost of the approved practice, as determined by FSA county committees. <p> Producers should check with their local FSA offices regarding ECP sign-up periods, which are set by FSA county committees. For a producer's land to be eligible, the disaster must create new conservation problems that, if untreated, would impair or endanger the land and affect its productive capacity. Conservation problems existing prior to the applicable disaster are ineligible for ECP assistance. <p> USDA offers additional programs to help farmers and ranchers recover from damages caused by natural disasters. These programs include the Emergency Loan Program, Federal Crop Insurance and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program. <p> More information on ECP and other disaster assistance programs is available at local FSA service centers and online at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov. <p> http://www.leagueofruralvoters.org/resources/articles/untitled-6.html Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:05:47 GMT <p> Tom Daschle pledged Barack Obama’s support for health care availability for all Americans. The South Dakotan also reiterated Sen. Obama’s determination that 25 percent of the nation’s energy supply would come from renewable sources by 2025. In response to a question about the rapid consolidation of meatpacking firms, Daschle said that Barack Obama supports full and complete antitrust reform and enforcement of the Packers and Stockyards Act for open and transparent markets. Ranchers have asked for federal intervention to block mergers of meatpacking companies. <p> Daschle, too, promoted a more bipartisan attitude in Congress. “We’ve got to put the dialogue back” in Washington, D.C., he said. “And I believe more than anything that Barack Obama has that capability.” <p> Perhaps the sharpest disagreement between Brownback and Daschle was over the use of budget “earmarks.” McCain has promised to veto any bill containing instructions directing federal funds to specific projects. Brownback noted that he had used these so-called earmarks to direct money to rural communities. (“I’ve used earmarks and I publicize ‘em,” he said.) But the McCain representative said his candidate opposed earmarks because McCain believed they damage “people’s confidence in government.” <p> Daschle, meanwhile, said that earmarks gave senators and representatives “an ability to weigh in on priorities.” Listing a half-dozen rural projects paid for by earmarks, he told the gathering, “Those are investments that ought to be acknowledged and fought for.” <p> http://www.leagueofruralvoters.org/resources/articles/presidentialcampaignsavoidspecificsatruralassembly.html Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:27:59 GMT <p> Senate leaders will move Thursday to pass a farm bill that includes the trade-related portion accidentally left out of the version Congress sent to President Bush in May. <p> A roll call vote on the $289 billion measure is scheduled for 5 p.m. Some Republicans have been blocking the Democratic leadership’s effort call up the corrected measure and quickly pass it by voice vote. <p> “We’re going to try it again,” said Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev. <p> Sen. Tom Coburn , R-Okla., wants the Senate to debate the entire farm bill once again. Coburn, a fiscal conservative, arguesthe bill does too little for farmers and spends too much on nutrition and social programs, an aide said. <p> “They should have passed a farm bill that helped farmers in the first place,” said Don Tatro, a spokesman for Coburn, who added that there is ample time for the Senate to address the bill. <p> A clerical error dropped the international trade title from the version of the farm bill that Bush vetoed last month. Congress overrode that veto, enacting every other section. <p> The House passed the new, complete bill on May 22. Once the Senate follows suit, Bush will have to decide whether to veto the measure, forcing another round of override votes on Capitol Hill, or sign it, or allow it to become law without his signature. <p> Senate delay in clearing the measure has stalled deliveries of emergency assistance to countries affected by famine and natural disaster, the U.S. Agency for International Development and advocates of the bill said. <p> http://www.leagueofruralvoters.org/resources/articles/farmbillfixwillgetrollcallvoteinsenate.html Thu, 05 Jun 2008 19:22:22 GMT <p> More work needs to be done by the state and the federal government to prevent possible worker shortages in South Dakota, health care professionals told Sen. Tim Johnson on Wednesday. <p> While almost all health care professions in South Dakota are projected to show double-digit percentage growth during the next decade, worker shortages are expected across the spectrum of professions. That includes dentists to nurses to home health care workers. <p> It's a problem, especially in rural areas, because fewer workers could mean decreased access to health services for people. <p> "I want to use my second chance at life to improve access to quality health care," Johnson told people gathered at a health care roundtable meeting. <p> Mel Thaler, a pediatric dentist at Children's Dental Center in Sioux Falls, said South Dakota is facing a crisis in not enough dentists, particularly in rural parts of the state. The state and federal government can help by increasing programs that reimburse dentists' student loan bills in exchange for service, Thaler said. <p> The state also could benefit from a pediatric dentist training program, he said. <p> "As hard as we work, just a little over one-third (of children) are getting dental care," Thaler said. <p> Part of the worker shortage problem is an aging work force, said registered nurse Anna Attebury. <p> The average age of a nurse in South Dakota is in his or her mid-40s. And the state's nursing schools are graduating about 280 too few nurses annually to keep up with demand, Attebury said. <p> "That doesn't sound like much, but when you compound it ..." she said. <p> Paula Johnson of Sioux Falls shared her experiences finding a qualified person to help care for her elderly mother. <p> "I had to find someone who I trusted in my home," Johnson said. "That kind of person is irreplaceable." <p> The Johnson health care roundtable was the second discussion this week between health care professionals and South Dakota's Congressional delegation. <p> On Tuesday, Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin toured the Dougherty Hospice House on the Avera Prince of Peace retirement community campus in Sioux Falls. Herseth Sandlin this month voted to pass legislation delaying the implementation of Medicare reimbursement cuts for hospices. <p> "We need to do what we can to ensure that health care facilities like Dougherty Hospice House have the resources they need to operate smoothly and continue providing access to care," Herseth Sandlin said in a statement. http://www.leagueofruralvoters.org/resources/articles/senatortimjohnsonhostshealthcareroundtable.html Fri, 30 May 2008 15:20:05 GMT <p> Washington, D.C. – Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today issued the following statement in response to the Senate vote of 82 to 13 override the veto of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act in the Senate. Yesterday, the House of Representatives voted 316 to 108 to override the measure. Harkin is Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and of the Senate-House conference committee on the new farm bill. <p> “The president tried to send a message with his veto of The Food, Conservation and Energy Act, but today, in the second veto override of the Bush Presidency, Congress sent an even stronger message back: this veto will not stand in the way of critical farm, food, conservation and energy investments becoming law. Not only did this bill pass both chambers with an overwhelming majority, but with the override votes, we held our majorities. This proves we have a good, strong, bipartisan farm bill. And after all of our hard work, it is a proud result for Congress as their critical legislation becomes law.” <p> http://www.leagueofruralvoters.org/resources/articles/secondvetooverrideofbushpresidencymakesforward-lookingfarmfoodconservationandenergyinitiativeslaw.html Wed, 28 May 2008 16:48:06 GMT If the House musters the two-thirds majority required for an override, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., said his chamber will vote before it recesses for the Memorial Day break. <p> “I believe the farm bill will become law and it cannot happen soon enough,” Reid said. <p> In his veto message to the House, the president focused on the $289 billion measure’s price tag, saying that lawmakers used “budget gimmicks” to hide extra spending. <p> “At a time of high food prices and record farm income, this bill lacks program reform and fiscal discipline,” Bush wrote. <p> A veto override appears all but certain. Both chambers voted overwhelmingly last week to adopt the conference report on bill. The House tally was 318-106, and the Senate’s was 81-15. Both totals were well beyond the two-thirds majority needed to enact a bill over the president’s veto. <p> The legislation, which took Congress nearly a year-and-a-half to write, would reauthorize crop subsidies and conservation programs, tighten income eligibility limits for payments, boost funding for food stamps, expand land-conservation programs and offer new incentives for alternative energy. <p> “By vetoing this food, conservation and energy bill, the administration has shown a willing disregard for rural America,” said Sen. Kent Conrad , D-N.D., one of the primary negotiators on the farm bill. “It has turned its back on the hungry and undercut American farmers and ranchers.” <p> A key Republican farm bill writer, Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, the ranking member on the Agriculture Committee, also fired back at the White House. <p> “I am deeply disappointed that the president has accepted the imprudent counsel of his advisors and has rejected the farm bill which Congress approved by unprecedented margins,” Chambliss said. <p> http://www.leagueofruralvoters.org/resources/articles/housetovotefirstonoverrideoffarmbillveto.html Wed, 21 May 2008 18:37:49 GMT <p> Supplies Needed: reams of white paper for copying/printing staplers staples Xerox toner pens paper clips diapers (for infants-toddlers) infant formula (Simulac and Enfamil) gas cards (Recommended for IA: Kum & Go, Hy-Vee, Casey's General Store) Hygiene products for men and women (shampoo, soap, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush) food (non perishable) phone cards (long distance to Latin America) <p> Cash Donations for Immigrant Families: For sending checks and cash, the address is: <p> Veridian Credit Union P.O. Box 6000 Waterloo, IA 50701 <p> If making a donation via credit card, please call 1-800-235-3228 <p> *** Please include Account Number for the Postville fund when sending either form of payment. The account number-- 5830490 <p> Cash Donations for El Centro Latinoamericano (general operating): <p> El Centro Latinoamericano 500 E. 4th Street Ste. 321 Waterloo, Iowa 50703 Phone: 319-287-6400 <p> Cash Donations for St. Bridget's Catholic Church: Saint Bridget’s Hispanic Ministry Att’n. Paul Real PO BOX 369 Postville, IA. 52162 http://www.leagueofruralvoters.org/resources/articles/postvilleiowaraidassistancelist.html Fri, 16 May 2008 15:24:25 GMT To print this article open the file menu and choose Print. <p> POSTVILLE Among those hurting in Postville right now is Agriprocessors, the kosher meatpacking plant that is trying to keep up with orders without at least 390 of its workers, who were arrested in a Monday immigration raid. <p> By several reports, the company has bused in workers from its Nebraska plant to try and keep up production. Zita Frantz, the manager of the Pines Motel, which the company owns, said she knows of at least 75 workers who’ve been bused in. <p> Jim Fallon, the plant’s designated spokesman, based in Kansas City, Mo., did not return phone calls asking for comment Thursday. <p> But Rhonda Lechuga, 40, who’s worked in shipping at Agriprocessors for two years, said the people who’ve worked in parts and maintenance have been reassigned to chicken cut-up lines. <p> She said she and three other women in her department are being rotated on a four-day schedule. <p> “All four of us are getting our hours cut,” she said. “There’s no one to work on the cut-up line, and also there’s not enough people in shipping to pull boxes to get them on the trucks.” <p> Just about everyone she knew who worked at Agriprocessors either is gone, has taken a cut in hours or has had responsibilities shifted. She said she has “no clue” when she’ll go back full time.While many in this town of 2,600 are sympathetic to the workers — and, in particular, their children — others think the enforcement action was overdue. <p> Teddy Hughes Jr. of Frankville, who builds grain bins for a company just east of Postville, said he has no problem with the way federal immigration agents rounded up illegal immigrants at Agriprocessors. <p> “They’re breaking the law,” he said. “If you’re an American citizen, and you break the law, you go to jail.” <p> More than 300 of 390 men and women arrested in the Monday raid are charged with either misusing a Social Security number or some type of identity theft. <p> Quite a few people share Hughes’ opinion, he said, but are afraid to say so. <p> Adolfo Calderon, who manages about 100 downtown properties, disagrees. <p> “I call this evil — tearing families apart,” he said. “The government has no idea how painful this is.” <p> Stan Straate, president of Freedom Bank in Postville, said many of those in northeast Iowa who are happiest to see immigration laws enforced in Postville don’t live there. <p> It’s a complicated issue, he said, and people 50 miles away reading about illegal immigrants in Postville often don’t see the nuances as well as those who are directly involved with the Hispanic community in the town. <p> It’s too early, he said, to know how the raid will affect the town in the long term. But he thinks, as do many other business owners in town, that the Rubashkins, the plant’s owners, have too much invested in Postville to walk away from it. <p> In a sense, he said, the banks, property owners and tenants are in it together. <p> He said he plans to work with property owners who might not be able to pay the mortgages on vacant properties because “what good is owning a house that’s vacant?” <p> “I’m of the opinion that it will work out,” he said.Opinions aside, the plight of families affected by the raid has generated an outpouring of assistance, according to Ardie Kuhse of Postville, who’s been helping the dozens of families still staying overnight at St. Bridget’s Catholic Church, the unofficial headquarters for family assistance. <p> People and churches from Winneshiek, Allamakee, Fayette and Clayton counties have dropped off food, baby food, diapers and other items at the church, where volunteers have been serving breakfast, lunch and dinner for three days. <p> “People call and say, ‘What are you low on?’” Kuhse said. <p> On Thursday morning in the small bathroom at the church, tubes of toothpaste and bottles of shampoo were stacked on a shelf near the sink as elementary-school-age boys washed up to get ready for school. <p> As several mothers and younger children quietly ate breakfast in the fellowship hall behind the church sanctuary, Chad Wahls, principal of Postville’s Darling Elementary and Middle School, moved through the room, gathering kids and putting them on a small bus to the school, less than three blocks away. <p> About 50 kids who’d spent the night at the church took the bus to school. <p> It’s important to get children back into a regular routine, Wahls said. <p> To some extent, he’s been successful. <p> About 120 students didn’t show up for school on Tuesday, the day after the raid. By Thursday, all but 30 of those were back in school, Wahls said. <p> “The best day that can come,” he said, “is when these kids feel safe enough to walk back to school.” <p> http://www.leagueofruralvoters.org/resources/articles/postvilleiowastrugglinginraidswake.html Fri, 16 May 2008 14:58:37 GMT <p> The Legislature has approved a bill aimed at prohibiting a hospital from using information about a patient's medical debt to decide whether to treat the patient. The governor is expected to sign it. <p> "It hasn't been a problem here yet, but we do know that some companies were working on gathering that information to sell to health care providers," said Sen. Linda Scheid, DFL-Brooklyn Center, chief Senate sponsor. <p> Under the bill, a health care provider can't share or obtain medical debt information about a patient seeking care until after the care is delivered. Impetus for the bill came from Attorney General Lori Swanson, who sought to ensure health care decisions are not based on a patient's medical debt. <p> http://www.leagueofruralvoters.org/resources/articles/billhospitalscantusepatientsmedicaldebttodecidecare.html Fri, 09 May 2008 14:48:49 GMT <p> WASHINGTON - Negotiators on a five-year, $300 billion farm bill say they have reached a tentative agreement on the legislation and it will be considered by the House and Senate next week. <p> But the Bush administration has objected to the bill, and the White House says it seems unlikely that Congress will pass farm legislation the president can sign. President Bush has said the bill is "bloated" with farmer subsidies in a time of record crop prices and is too expensive. <p> Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said after meetings Wednesday that the negotiating is finished, but he acknowledged that some minor issues remain unresolved. <p> The agreement is the latest of several proposed frameworks that have been renegotiated after the White House or other members of Congress signaled opposition. <p> The agreement moved Congress closer to the White House on the amount of government subsidies that would be directed to wealthy farmers, an issue that has been a sticking point for months. <p> Sen. Saxby Chambliss, the top Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee, said the agreement would eliminate some government payments to individuals who make more than $750,000 in farm income annually, which would be closer to the White House's proposal on limiting subsidies. Those who make more than $500,000 in non-farm income would also be ineligible for subsidies. <p> The Bush administration originally proposed a cap for those who make more than $200,000 in annual gross income, but has indicated it could accept a limit of $500,000. As of last week, negotiators were considering a $950,000 income cap on farm income. <p> The $750,000 cap could also be seen as a $1.5 million cap for a married couple if both individuals are farmers, as the payments are attributed to individuals. <p> While lawmakers met privately in attempts to appease Bush, his administration worked to rally conservatives who oppose the bill. <p> Grover Norquist, president of the anti-tax group Americans for Tax Reform, said an administration official criticized the bill at a breakfast attended by conservatives Wednesday morning. Another person who attended the meeting said the official was Deputy Agriculture Secretary Charles Conner, who said Bush was likely to veto the bill. <p> Norquist said a veto of the farm bill would be popular among the conservative ranks and could help the president solidify his party's position this November. Conservatives believe "this is a fight worth having," said Norquist. <p> White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said Bush remains concerned that negotiators have not come close enough to his positions on the bill. <p> "But members of Congress have continued to work on it, and if they can get there, the president would sign it," Perino said. "But it seems unlikely, and therefore the president would call on them to pass a one-year extension if they can't get to a point where they would pass a bill that he could sign." <p> Virginia Rep. Bob Goodlatte, the top Republican on the House Agriculture Committee, said he met with Bush Wednesday morning and again encouraged him to support the bill. <p> Bush criticized the legislation but did not speak in specifics, Goodlatte said, and acknowledged that some Republicans would have to vote with their farm-based districts in favor of the measure, even if the White House vetoes the bill. <p> "We think there is a great deal to be said about the fiscal responsibility in this bill," Goodlatte said. <p> Two-thirds of the legislation is nutrition programs, including food stamps. Lawmakers agreed last month to provide more than $10 billion extra over 10 years for those programs. <p> The bill would also expand subsidies for several crops and create new grants for vegetable and fruit growers. <p> The legislation would also increase loan rates for sugar producers, extend dairy programs and provide more dollars for renewable energy and conservation programs to protect environmentally sensitive farm land. <p> http://www.leagueofruralvoters.org/resources/articles/farmbillnegotiatorssaytheyhavetentativeagreementasbushcontinuestoobject.html Thu, 08 May 2008 16:25:19 GMT A legislative agreement to raise Minnesota's minimum wage in two stages faces a veto threat from Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who wasn't swayed by changes designed to attract his signature. <p> Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung said the governor would veto the bill if it reached him in the current form. <p> Under the plan, the bottom hourly wage for workers at large employers would go up 60 cents to $6.75 in mid-July and climb another dollar a year later. Businesses with annual sales above $625,000 are considered large employers. <p> Smaller employers would have to pay workers at least $5.75 an hour beginning this July and $6.75 by July 2009. The current minimum wage for them is $5.25 per hour. <p> House and Senate negotiators said Wednesday they met Pawlenty more than halfway by settling on a lower wage than originally proposed and by pulling out an automatic escalator that would cause the minimum wage to rise on its own in future years. <p> "I'm almost speechless with disgust," said Sen. Ellen Anderson, DFL-St. Paul. "My inclination would be to send this bill to him and hope he's bluffing." <p> Rep. Tom Rukavina, the lead House sponsor, also urged the Republican governor to reconsider his stance, citing his upbringing in a blue-collar household. <p> "I'm hoping that he remembers his roots and where he came from and protects these lowest paid workers in the state," said Rukavina, DFL-Virginia. "After all, he's protected the highest-paid workers in the state." <p> Minnesota's minimum wage last rose in 2005. The federal minimum wage - currently $5.85 an hour - will reach $7.25 an hour in July 2009. <p> McClung said Pawlenty thinks the bill goes too far. <p> "The bill could do more harm than good - the increased costs to small businesses have been shown to slow job growth - and that's not something we need in this already challenged economy," McClung said. <p> "All of these people who can't afford to buy a gallon of gas and a box of Cheerios with today's prices are going to be left hanging by the governor," Anderson said. <p> The bill also raises the state's training wage, which applies to teenage employees who are on the job for 90 days or less. That wage is now $4.90 an hour and would go to $5.75 when fully phased in next July. The training wage would apply to workers 17 years old and younger, down from 19 and under now. <p> Labor and Industry Commissioner Steve Sviggum said Pawlenty wanted to have a lower wage for waitresses, waiters, bartenders and other workers who make tips, a concept called a "tip credit." He also said the training wage provision goes in a different direction than the governor supports and the overall wage hike is too far above the federal standard when fully phased in. <p> Sviggum said the governor "would be willing to consider a wage that is tick above the federal minimum. Fifty cents is a little bit more than a tick." <p> Anderson said the minimum-wage flap could cause problems for Sviggum when the Senate votes on his confirmation, possibly in the final weeks of the session. <p> "I don't know that we should kill the messenger because as far as I know Commissioner Sviggum was quoting the governor correctly," she said. "But we can't unconfirm the governor." <p> http://www.leagueofruralvoters.org/resources/articles/minimumwageagreementfacespawlentyveto.html Wed, 07 May 2008 19:57:04 GMT <p> Republican presidential candidate John McCain used the nation's leading corn-producing state as his backdrop today to announce he opposed new federal farm legislation. <p> The presumptive GOP nominee also suggested he would run a different general election campaign in Iowa than did President George W. Bush, who was the first Republican in 20 years to carry the state in winning re-election in 2004. <p> The Arizona senator's afternoon stop in Iowa was part of a swing through states expected to be competitive in November, as the Democratic nomination remains unsettled. During his first trip to the state since his fourth-place finish in the Iowa caucuses in January, McCain headlined a Des Moines forum aimed at discussing his health care plan. <p> But McCain said at the outset of the event at the Polk County Convention Complex that provisions in the farm bill to increase payments to farmers were bad economic policy. <p> “I’d like to start out by saying to you that I have to give you a little straight talk about the farm bill that is winding its way through Congress," McCain told the audience of about 250 people. "I do not support it. I would veto it. I would do that because I believe that these subsidies, the subsidies are unnecessary." <p> McCain, who has long opposed agricultural subsidies, said later in an interview that he was willing to risk the political backlash in heavily agricultural states such as Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, which also have been among the most competitive electoral battlegrounds in the previous two presidential campaigns. <p> “At this time, to have an increase in agricultural subsidies when farmers are having higher incomes than at any time in memory, I just think it's legislation that's not in keeping with the economic hard times of America where people are losing their homes and their jobs,” McCain said later in a Des Moines Register interview. <p> But he said he hoped voters in farm states would appreciate his plan to expand markets for U.S. agricultural products abroad. <p> "I will open up every market in the world to the most efficient, productive sector of Americas economy and that's our farm and agricultural worker,” he added. <p> Sen. Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat and chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, was meeting with congressional negotiators today trying to work out the details of the new farm bill, which would replace legislation passed in 2002. The bill they were considering would cost more than $280 billion over five years. <p> “Sen. McCain voted against the last farm bill, ignoring the crucial role of conservation, new forms of biofuels and alternative energy," Harkin spokesman Matt Paul said. "So, it's no surprise he would value a political talking point more than real solutions for the country.” <p> Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have both spoken favorably about the farm bill. Clinton, in a news release today, urged McCain to join her in supporting the bill. <p> A Des Moines Register poll in February showed McCain leading Clinton in support from likely Iowa voters, but trailing Obama. McCain edged Clinton in support among independents, but Obama beat McCain among swing voters. <p> Bush carried Iowa by roughly 10,000 votes in 2004, by increasing his margins in Iowa's most Republican counties. McCain said he would make a more concerted effort to reach swing voters. <p> "I don't mean to try to compare myself to what turned out to be a successful campaign, except to say that my message is that I'm going to be the president of all Americans," McCain said. "And in tough economic times, it is imperative that we work together." <p> McCain's Iowa trip was part of a week-long focus on health care, beginning with the rollout of a plan in Florida on Tuesday. McCain campaigned in Pennsylvania Wednesday, and Ohio today before coming to Iowa. <p> McCain's health care plan is aimed at encouraging Americans to choose their health insurance plans, make them portable and reduce costs through competition. <p> The roughly 70 percent of insured Americans who receive coverage through their jobs are not taxed for the costs of their insurance. <p> A key provision of McCain's plan would be defining as taxable income what employers spend on an employee's health benefits. The higher taxes would be offset by refundable tax credits of $5,000 per family. The goal is to encourage the industry to compete in the health insurance market. <p> McCain's campaign policy advisers have said it is possible that some higher-income workers who have more expensive health insurance could end up paying higher taxes as a result of the switch. <p> McCain, who has said he would oppose increasing taxes, dismissed the idea that his plan was the equivalent of a tax increase for some. <p> "If they want to have a gold-plated health care plan and pay higher premiums, that's their choice. I'm not mandating that they do that," McCain said. I don't think it increases taxes. It's a matter of choice." <p> U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican and ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, has said he is considering a proposal like McCain's as a way to help lower overall health care costs. <p> Republican U.S. Senate candidate George Eichhorn from Stratford said the possibility that some people would pay higher taxes does not undermine McCain's tax pledge. However, Eichhorn stopped short of saying he supports the idea. It's a good thing to look at," he said. "You're talking about a preliminary plan." <p> Unlike Obama and Clinton, McCain does not advocate expanding government health insurance plans or mandate that all Americans receive coverage, as Clinton does, or all children, as Obama does. <p> http://www.leagueofruralvoters.org/resources/articles/mccaininiowaidvetothefarmbill.html Tue, 06 May 2008 20:37:17 GMT Washington, D.C. - Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and the Senate-House conference committee on the farm bill, today said that the core farm bill utilizing the $10 billion above baseline has been worked out among key farm bill negotiators. <p> Specific details and funding will still have to be worked out and are all subject to ratification by the full conference committee. <p> Chairman Harkin intends to convene the conference committee on Monday. <p> "Today the principal farm bill negotiators came together on a bipartisan level to reach a tentative agreement on the agriculture policy that will make the final farm bill a strong one. <p> "The tentative agreement reached today maintains strong farm income security and a permanent disaster program. It will solidify the future of the Conservation Security Program, now the Conservation Stewardship Program, returning it to the program it was intended to be when first enacted in the 2002 farm bill. It invests heavily in renewable energy and will help bring the promise of cellulosic biofuels to reality by providing grants and loans to move from corn ethanol to other renewable feedstocks. <p> And our agreement will lead to more fresh fruits and vegetables in our nation's elementary schools and stronger assistance to low-income Americans through federal nutrition programs. <p> "All in all, this is a balanced agreement that will now be considered by the full conference committee Monday." http://www.leagueofruralvoters.org/resources/articles/farm.html Sat, 26 Apr 2008 16:56:51 GMT Rural Minnesota has cracked a dubious top-five list when it comes to business property tax burdens, according to a new study from the Minnesota Taxpayers Association. <p> The MTA’s annual 50-State Property Tax Comparison study, released Thursday, shows that outstate Minnesota has the third-highest commercial property taxes of any rural area in the country, based on 2007 taxes payable for a typical $25 million property. <p> Last year’s study placed Minnesota at the No. 8 spot in that category. <p> The average 2007 property tax for a $25 million commercial property in rural Minnesota was $956,919, compared with the U.S. average of $500,063, the study noted. The study used the Minnesota town of Glencoe as a “typical” rural city. <p> Mark Haveman, executive director of the Minnesota Taxpayers Association, said business property taxes in rural Minnesota continue to be “an area of concern.” <p> “They have trended chronically higher for many years,” Haveman said in a phone interview. “This is not new. We have called them ‘stubbornly higher’ for a very long time.” <p> The study looked at urban and rural properties at three different value levels: $100,000, $1 million and $25 million. <p> A $1 million commercial property in rural Minnesota has the fourth-highest tax burden and a $100,000 property is ninth-highest in the nation, according to the study. Last year, rural Minnesota ranked ninth and 18th, respectively, in those categories. <p> The study also compared property taxes for homestead, industrial and apartment properties. <p> Residential property taxes remain “modest” compared with neighboring states and are below the national average, according to the report. Property taxes on a median-valued home in Minneapolis were up 1.9 percent in 2007, but remain 6.8 percent below the national average. <p> Urban commercial properties in Minnesota didn’t make the top 10 nationally. However, taxes on a $1 million commercial property in Minneapolis are 35 percent higher than the national average, the study noted. <p> Minnesota was closer to the middle of the pack when it came to apartment properties (urban and rural both ranked No. 29). For industrial properties, rural Minnesota ranked ninth and urban Minnesota was No. 18. <p> Charlie Weaver, executive director of the Minneapolis-based Minnesota Business Partnership, said the numbers are “brutal” for rural Minnesota businesses. <p> “The rural business property tax continues to be a significant problem, especially since that is where we are having the hardest time finding jobs,” Weaver said. “Rural Minnesota is trying to maintain that job base. It doesn’t help when their businesses are being taxed out of the state.” <p> Weaver said he’s most concerned about small- to medium-sized businesses. <p> “For them, the property tax burden is a significant part of their bottom line,” he added. “They end up having to lay off workers over these kinds of rates. <p> “The bottom line is, businesses do make decisions based on taxes, and this should be a wake-up call for legislators who are thinking about raising taxes.” <p> State Rep. Loren Solberg, DFL-Grand Rapids, said “we are all concerned” about property taxes. He noted that the overall tax burden in Minnesota – for things like schools and local government – has been shifting from the income tax to the property tax. <p> “That affects businesses as well as homesteads,” Solberg said. “But there is also, at least in some parts of rural Minnesota, a shift from commercial/industrial to homeowners. Power plants have received a very large tax decrease,” and other properties are picking up the slack. <p> MTA conducted its study in cooperation with other state members of the National Taxpayers Conference, which MTA describes as a “national organization of public finance research and taxpayer groups.” <p> More information about the study is available at www.mntax.org. <p> http://www.leagueofruralvoters.org/resources/articles/ruralminnesotabusinessseeriseinpropertytaxes.html Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:02:48 GMT <p> WASHINGTON -- Representative Keith Ellison has added a provision to a Medicaid bill to preserve funding levels for a program that helps neglected kids, elderly and the mentally ill. <p> The House bill would impose a one-year moratorium on seven rules changes the Bush administration argues are needed to rectify waste and abuse in Medicaid. <p> One of those rules was aimed at a program called "Targeted Case Management" by prohibiting federal payments for certain services. The provision by Ellison, a Minnesota Democrat, blocks those changes, which could cost Minnesota tens of millions of dollars. <p> In February, the Senate approved legislation, backed by Minnesota's senators, to delay that rule for one year. But since the House bill is broader, new action by the Senate is required to get the changes through Congress. <p> http://www.leagueofruralvoters.org/resources/articles/ushousevoteonmedicaidwouldhelpminnesota.html Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:41:38 GMT