New state laws affecting our community
By: Joe Mullery 07/01/2009
Neighborhoods and foreclosures. Even for those whose homes aren't in foreclosure, the foreclosure crisis has an enormous effect on our neighborhoods, jobs and overall economy. For the third year in a row, one of my laws leads the nation on the foreclosure problem. It provides a five-month extension of the period when homeowners can pay their arrearages. People who lose their jobs or can't work because of a medical condition will have time to get back on their feet to pay the arrearages. We also passed my bill to go after foreclosure "consultants" who are ripping off borrowers, and the City's bill to allow the city to shorten the redemption period on abandoned houses.
The City's lobbyists also strongly supported two of my bills for neighborhoods but both failed. One would have allowed the City to require a sale to owner-occupants when an owner-occupied house was foreclosed (to prevent neighborhoods from becoming all rental). The other would have allowed the City to use eminent domain to acquire foreclosed properties that were abandoned and dilapidated. The governor vetoed several bills to protect homeowners from unscrupulous repair and home improvement contractors. My bills that provided $1 million for improvements to Victory Memorial Drive, and $44,000 to plant 200 new disease- and insect-resistant elms along the Drive, became law.
Youth. We received $2.4 million for the City, with $600,000 going to the Park Board, in my bills to fund youth jobs. Minnesota has become one of the states experiencing a lot of human trafficking (especially involving youth). New tough criminal laws were passed this year. Unfortunately, my bill to attack the problem by civil liability with mandatory minimums was killed by the Senate. The governor vetoed money for the successful Power of You program whereby graduates of Minneapolis and St. Paul schools are assured they can afford to attend local public colleges. Laws were passed to keep sexual predators from using computers or cell phones to solicit children. First-time juvenile petty offenders will now be referred to restorative justice programs under certain criteria.
Balanced budget with no tax increase. Facing the largest budget deficit in state history, $6.5 billion ($4.5 billion caused by revenue shortfall), the legislature gave in to the governor's demands on spending cuts and the amount needed to replace lost revenue. However, both Republicans and Democrats rejected the governor's plan to replace lost revenue by borrowing for current operating expenses and paying double the amount borrowed over 20 years.
The legislature passed a "pay as you go" balanced budget to replace lost revenue, but the governor vetoed it claiming it would result in huge tax increases. That is not true, according to figures supplied by the governor's own department. The legislature's bill would have decreased taxes in the biennium beginning July 1, compared to our present biennium ending June 30. Only some people, mainly those earning over $250,000 per year, would have paid more under our bill. The legislature sent a balanced budget to the governor. He signed most of it, but his veto of part of it created an unbalanced budget. He now proposes to unilaterally cut hospitals and nursing homes, in addition to local government aid (which raises property taxes).
Joe Mullery
State Representative 58-A