Letter from Sen. Ortman – 4-21-10

4/21/2010

 

Dear Friends,

 

Over the last two weeks, some of the Senate's largest items that must be completed before Session ends have been put on hold. We have yet to see a health care finance omnibus bill; the Legislature is still waiting to hear how much money the state will be receiving from the federal government for health care purposes. That money could have a significant impact on what we are able to accomplish in the health care omnibus bill. Please see my newest article, No Gift, which addresses the Federal health care plan on my Senate InTouch webpage:

 

http://www.senate.mn/members/member_bio_personal.php?mem_id=1044&ls=86

 

Additionally, we are waiting for the courts to rule on the lawsuits against the Governor's 2009 unallotments. If the courts rule against the Governor's cuts, the State will again be responsible for finding the appropriate funding for those projects.

 

Governor Signs Jobs Bill

Recently, the Governor signed a bill into law that would provide over $100 million in tax credits over the next three years for small businesses intended to promote jobs across Minnesota. Included in these credits the Angel Investor Tax Credit, a credit for the renovation of historic buildings, a CARZ credit added to the preexisting JOBZ credits. Unlike JOBZ, CARZ is available to qualifying motor vehicle assembly facilities anywhere in the state.

 

This bill represents a crucial step forward for Minnesota in terms of economic development initiatives, job creation, support for small businesses and entrepreneurs, and science & technology investments. The bill had strong bi-partisan support in the House and Senate. We can be proud of the fact that we had consensus in our State government on one of the most important goals for Minnesota during this difficult economy: new jobs.

 

From the District…

Recently, I had an opportunity to meet with a group of people from my district who work in the senior care industry. Providing adequate funding for the needs of our aging population has been a priority for me during my time in the State Senate. I asked this employee, "Charlie" (names have been changed to protect privacy) to share his story with me and the E-Update group. The narrative below was written by the Human Resources Director at a Senior Care Facility in my district. I am pleased that I had the opportunity to get to know "Charlie." I have also heard from many others who share Charlie's situation through e-mails and letters to my Senate office. I welcome the opportunity to share his story with you now, below.

 

Charlie (a Certified Nursing Assistant) works as a care attendant and activities assistant in our assisted living memory care program. He has been with this Senior Care Facility for over a year and loves his job. He is amazing with the residents and says that this is the most satisfying work he has ever done. He averages 82 hours per two week pay period and picks up additional shifts whenever they are available. Charlie is 50 years old and lives with Type 1 Diabetes. He makes $11.67/hour and is covered under our senior care facility's health insurance plan. He pays $237.00/month and the organization pays $355.80 on his behalf for his health coverage for a total cost of $593 each month. His deductible is $2,500.00. He has six prescriptions for his diabetes, depression, and asthma. At the current time, he fills his diabetes medication only when he is able and chooses not to test his blood sugar because he can't afford his testing supplies. His depression and asthma medicine have not been refilled for over 9 months. Charlie has a house payment of $1,024.00/month. Without even doing the math we can see that no matter how hard Charlie tries to be self sufficient he cannot make ends meet. Charlie came to my office last week and stated that he didn't know what to do. He has always taken care of himself and has never relied on public assistance. He is a proud man and doesn't want someone else to take care of him. However, because he can no longer afford his insurance and the cost of his medicine, he needs to make a choice between two really bad options. His first option would be to continue to work but ignore his medical needs by skipping his medication so he can continue to have a place to live and put food on the table. His second option is to reduce his hours enough so he reaches an income level that would qualify him for the state health plan. Even if he chooses his first option he will ultimately end up on some sort of public assistance, because his health will decline to the point where he is no longer able to work.

 

We cannot continue to cut reimbursement rates for nursing homes. The Governor has proposed cuts to budgets that fund nursing homes, but the legislature has consistently pushed back against those cuts. This year, the legislature will reject these cuts again. The Governor may suggest a budget, but ultimately it is the legislature that decides how funds are spent, and the legislature is not ready to cut these necessary funds.

 

Energy Independence

 

I came across an article that I'd like to share with you. It covers a U.S. Geological
Survey assessment for an oil reserve called the Bakken Formation. It lies under North Dakota, Montana, and the Rocky Mountains. The Bakken Formation, according to the new survey published 2 years ago, contains 3.0-4.3 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil. If you are interested in learning more about the Bakken Formation, please read more here:

 

http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=1911

 

Thank you for reading this week's E-Update! If you have thoughts or responses to any of these issues, including Charlie's story, I would welcome the opportunity to hear from you. I deeply appreciate your involvement and thank you again for your interest.

 

Sincerely,

Julianne Ortman

State Senator

District 34

Sen. Ortman’s Capitol Report – April 6, 2010

 

First budget bill passed

The Minnesota Senate passed its first major budget bill the week before Easter/Passover break. The bill contained some cost-cutting measures but no real reforms, and was concerning in its deep public safety cuts.

 

As an alternative, Governor Tim Pawlenty's complete budget was offered, including job creation initiatives. It did not pass. During the debate, there was an appeal to fellow senators to reconsider the proposed $39.2 million in cuts - more than twice the Governor's requests - and to support amendments to reinstate funding to the fire safety fund, restore the state portion of funding for Sentencing to Service and lessen deep cuts to the state's courts, nursing homes and home care.

 

Throughout the process of cutting Minnesota's budget and reprioritizing spending, the scare tactic of cutting police and firefighters is often held over the heads of taxpayers. This partial budget seems to also demonstrate a trend towards limiting the options the Governor and Legislature will have later to force K-12 cuts or tax increases.

 

This piecemeal approach also ignores a comprehensive solution to this year's billion-dollar deficit and, like the earlier passage of the $1 billion bonding bill, shows a lack of sensible priorities by the majority leadership. Other budget bills will follow after the Easter/Passover break.

An amendment to repeal the Green Acres property tax changes to pre- 2008 rates was defeated 32-34.

Senator Julianne Ortman lead a press conference of Republican legislators in asking Attorney General Lori Swanson to file a lawsuit against unconstitutional provisions in the federal health care legislation.

Mid-Session Issue Update

FEDERAL HEALTH CARE LEGISLATION

On behalf of constituents, Minnesota legislators called on the state's congressional delegation to reject the federal health care reform bill prior to its passage last week and sought protection from the state's attorney general to file a lawsuit against the unconstitutional measure and abuse of power by the federal government. A letter signed by all 68 Republican legislators (47 House & 21 Senate) requesting legal action against H.R. 3590 was delivered to the office of Attorney General Lori Swanson. Governor Pawlenty has also requested the same action. The mandate in the federal law that would force U.S. residents to buy health insurance is unconstitutional, and it imposes an unconstitutional tax on individuals who do not comply with the mandate. Other problems with the legislation include the elimination of individuals right to choose private health care plans, a questionable funding mechanism for a new entitlement called the CLASS Act, and overall long-term funding and national deficit questions. Recent polling shows that a majority of Americans oppose the health care legislation, think it will hurt the economy, and will drive up health care costs.

2010 MIDSESSION UPDATE

 

BONDING/CAPITAL INVESTMENT

The Legislature passed a second bonding bill at about $1 billion of borrowing. Once again the Governor performed the work of the Legislature by reducing the size of the billion dollar bill down to $680 million. Some improvements were made to the bill in the area of public safety provisions including $47.5 million of the $89 million Moose Lake phase II expansion, Department of Corrections radio system, security system and perimeter fence upgrade for the state prison at Oak Park Heights, and renovation for the Minneapolis Veteran Affairs Building 17.

GENERAL ASSISTANCE MEDICAL CARE

The General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) fix has been passed and signed by the Governor. Effective June 1, 2010, the plan creates a new hospital-based coordinated care delivery system in partnership with county agencies. Coordinating Care Organizations (CCO) will manage health care and provide medically necessary services for GAMC eligible residents. Capped block grants to CCOs will be funded with $71 million from the state's General Fund. The agreement also includes a six month Uncompensated Care Pool (UCP) for hospitals that are not designated as CCOs. The temporary UCP will be funded with $20 million from the Health Care Access Fund. People eligible for the program continue to be low-income adults, ages 21-64, who have no dependent children, yet have the means available not to qualify for federally funded health care programs.

ENERGY OPTIONS

Again this year, lawmakers were denied the opportunity to vote on lifting the state's 16-year ban on new nuclear power plants, an issue that has become increasingly popular with Americans seeking clean, inexpensive energy. The measure was offered as an amendment to a solar energy bill in the full Senate, but no vote was taken after the bill's author pulled it from consideration. Recently, a bill that would have lifted the ban was denied by a few unsupportive members of a Senate energy committee. President Obama has recently announced federal government loan guarantees to build the first nuclear plants in the U.S. in three decades.

SIZE OF THE LEGISLATURE

A bill has been working its way through the committee process which would shrink the Minnesota Legislature from a total of 201 to 168 legislators. Currently, Minnesota has the 9th largest House of Representatives and the largest Senate of all legislatures in the 50 states.

ELECTIONS LAW

A new comprehensive elections reform law that had its genesis from the 2008 Coleman-Franken U.S. Senate recount has some good corrections such as ballot reconciliation measures to help ensure that all ballots are accounted for and tabulated according to the law by creating a chain of custody from election judges to municipal election officials. It also requires the Secretary of State to update the statewide voter registration system with the "challenged" status for convicted felons and illegal residents. The post-election sampling report will help legislators determine the number of illegal same-day voter registrations. The bill does not address election reforms such as provisional balloting or photo identification.

HAITI DEDUCTION NOW LAW

A bill designed to encourage donations to earthquake relief in Haiti has been signed into law. It allows those who contributed to relief efforts between January 11 and March 1 to deduct charitable donations on their 2009 state income taxes instead of waiting until next year. It also lets corporations deduct donations from corporate franchise taxes. The changes match state tax law with federal law.

RACINO

Talk of Racino – the proposed expansion of slot machine gambling to the state's two horseracing tracks – continues in light of the state's budget shortfall. Supporters say it could potentially supply $125 million annually for the state, money that could be used for a variety of needs, including education or to finance a new Vikings stadium, as well as provide jobs. There are also opponents who resist the expansion of gambling or feel promoters over promise its potential for return. It is unclear whether the proposal will see any further consideration during this session.

Mid-Session Issue Update

continued

Senators Julianne Ortman and Warren Limmer discuss legislation during a Senate floor session.

According to a Gallup Poll, 62 percent of Americans support nuclear power. (3/23/10)

Letter from Sen. Ortman – March 8, 2010

The Hamburg Post Readers I am going to be doing my best to post updates sent to me by those that Represent the residence of Hamburg at both the State and Federal Levels. For those that do not live within the districts of these elected officials, I encourage you to read the updates so that you may see what else is going on in St. Paul and Washington D.C. Feel free to leave comment or suggestions for the Representatives here or contact them directly. Remember get involved as apathy will never change the status quo.

 

3/8/2010

 

Dear Friends,

 

February Forecast

 

On Tuesday, March 2, the Legislature was briefed on the new economic forecast released by the State Economist Tom Stinson. Our State still faces a nearly $1 billion dollar deficit. The February Forecast did show a $209 million improvement in the $1.2 billion dollar deficit, but most of the improvement comes from a larger than projected federal reimbursement for Medicaid and the Governor's unallotment of the GAMC program.

 

Contrary to this slight improvement, the February Forecast showed a larger deficit for the upcoming FY 2012-13. Next biennium's deficit is expected to grow to nearly $7 billion -- $363 million more than November projections. While our State's revenues have consistently fallen since November 2006, spending has continued to rise. Only in the last 15 months has State spending decreased, due in large part to the ARRA Federal Stimulus dollars funding our projects and, more recently, to the Governor's unallotments.

 

Attached, I have included a summary of the February Forecast findings. All other information can be found on the Minnesota Management and Budget website: www.mmb.state.mn.us. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you have regarding our State's budget and economic future.

 

2nd Chance Day

 

As most of you know, one of the issues I have been passionate about during my time at the Capitol has been one to assist ex-offenders in their transition back to the community after they have served their time, paid their debt to society, and shown themselves to be rehabilitated. I have attached for you my article on expungement. One of the groups who also advocate strongly for exoffender rights is the Minnesota Second Chance Coalition. Each year they hold a 2nd Chance Day at the Capitol, which I had the pleasure of attending and briefly speaking at this year. Below is a link to a Kare-11 news article on the 2010 2nd Chance Day at the Capitol. http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=842650 Expungement, reducing recidivism, and restoring rights of ex-offenders has been important to me. If this issue is important to you as well, there are many opportunities you can take in your neighborhood to make a difference to ex-offenders returning to the community. One great organization, PEACE, sponsors a mentoring program for ex-offenders returning to their community. On Saturday, March 13, PEACE is sponsoring a mentoring training from 8:45 am -2:00 pm at the Hennepin Co. Adult Corrections Facility, Men's Building (1145 Shenandoah Lane, Plymouth). If you would like to participate in mentoring and supporting an ex-offender as they reenter their communities, or if you would like more information on opportunities to mentor in the future, please contact Jennifer Edel at 612-721-8687, or jedel@gmcc.org.

 

From the District…

 

Last week I was fortunate enough to receive letters from about 25 seventh graders from Chaska Middle School who are learning about state government. I'd like to share with you some of their concerns and suggestions that they shared with me in their letters. About half of the students wrote thoughtfully regarding issues they face in school. Most were concerned about the perceived downside of the new

Chanhassen High School: the students' well-developed social networks will face changes and disruptions as they move from middle school to one of the two high schools. Others wrote about various issues in education, like nutritional school lunches and childhood obesity, block scheduling, elective classes, and bus stop etiquette. One student wrote to me about school funding and the concern that teachers receive a fair salary.

 

The other half of the students wrote about other issues they are passionate about. A number wrote about the environment, on topics ranging from stiffer penalties for littering and polluting, over-development of the land, creating and maintaining community parks, and even Cap & Trade. A few wrote on transportation safety issues, including stop-light timing and snow-plow safety. I even received an insightful letter on the GAMC program.

 

I am very happy that these students took the time to write to my Senate office. As you can tell from the issues above, they have been paying attention! Many of these issues are discussed in the Minnesota State Legislature each year. For many, I am sure that this is their first opportunity to express their views to their State representative. I hope that they continue to stay involved, continue to be passionate about issues that affect their lives and their loved ones, and perhaps one day pursue holding public office. Thank you for reading this week's E-Update! I deeply appreciate your involvement and welcome questions or comments you have on the any issues of your interest.

 

Sincerely,

Julianne Ortman

State Senator

District 34

Medical Marijuana passed by Minnesota Senate

April 29th the Minnesota State Senate passed Senate bill SF0097 with a 36-28 vote to allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Many believe that marijuana is a “gateway” drug. The use of medical marijuana is meant to assist those suffering from the pains of cancer and HIV/AIDS; not for recreational use. How is the use of medical marijuana different then one in a hospital bed pushing the morphine button?

In the article, Minnesota Senate approves medical marijuana by Mark Brunswick, former county sheriff Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen is reported to have said, “I’m here to tell you there is a potential opportunity for abuse here, and kids are watching to see what we in the Legislature are going to do.” Sen. Ingebrigtsen is short-sighted and raises a sky is falling approach. With anything there is a chance for abuse. Every person entering into the policy academy brings along with them an opportunity of abuse. Are we not more intelligent or respectful of each other to go beyond the argument of potentially abuse?

My own Senator, Julianne Ortman, was quoted in the article of her concern of theft and violence. I attempted to contact Sen. Ortman last week but have not heard anything back on her concerns. Adding medical marijuana to legal activities in Minnesota is not going to increase theft or violence, this is just another sky is falling approach.

The bill has moved onto the House. I did contact Rep. Kohls to get his position. Rep. Kohls echoed the concern of protection. Rep. Kohls is opposed to the current form of the bill because of the way it prescribed and dispensed and if one has a doctor note it does not prevent them to buy it off the street. “If we could get that done, my concerns would be resolved,” stated Rep. Kohls.

I applaud the Senate in passing a medical marijuana bill and it is time for Minnesotans to display accountability when dealing with this issue. I agree with Rep. Kohls that tighter control on dispensing of medical marijuana to ensure those suffering from cancer and HIV/AIDS are obtaining their marijuana from legal avenues. Hopefully the House can correct this piece to the legislation passed by the Senate.

Friday Night Bonfire

Last night the weekly bonfire started without me as I had two games of softball to play at 8 and 9 pm. We went 1-1 for those wondering. When I arrived back from softball the glow of the bonfire was readily seen from the county road as I passed through town. After getting my beverage of choice, I proceeded to join the conversation. A few neighbors had come and went but several remained. Once again the conversation was all over the board. It ended up dying down on the topic of Hamburg and the increases we have all seen since moving here.

When I first arrived in Hamburg, almost six years ago, our water and sewer bill was on a quarterly basis. Not to long after that it become a monthly bill but at the same amount as the quarterly bill. The reason for the hike was water quality mandates put forth by government agencies. To my recollection I have not heard of one illness or death arising in Hamburg due to poor water quality.

Now Hamburg is facing another issue trying to grow the town through new housing and businesses. The trouble is our sewer and water system is already taxed to it limit. In order to meet the government guideline requirements, the city needs to expand the system and repair an aging sewer system. The few neighbors that remained wondered what can be done and why are our city council members not doing their job.

I tried my best to convey the message that Hamburg City Council and Clerk have been trying to the best of their abilities to deal with the situation. To assist we as residents can call and write our representatives to gain assistance. Citizen action is the bane of every elected official. It is time to become active. Write and call Sen. Ortman and Rep. Kohl's on the state level. As well Carver County Commissioner James Ische. It wouldn't hurt to contact Sen. Klobucher and Rep. Kline to voice concerns about government mandates that are not funded.