Outdoors, arts funding gets first OK

[JohnWester]

The Senate voted 42-22 for a proposed constitutional amendment raising the state sales tax. But the debate showed a bumpy road ahead.

Mark Brunswick, Star Tribune
A constitutional amendment that would increase the state's sales tax to fund the outdoors and the arts is a step closer to reaching voters in November after the Senate voted overwhelmingly Monday to approve it.

But the challenges that still lie ahead for the measure were evident. The 42-22 vote came only after some raw partisan debate. There were charges that some were trying to snub the arts community and that others were betraying hunters and anglers who have championed such an amendment for years.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Dallas Sams, DFL-Staples, calls to increase the state sales tax by three-eighths of a percentage point. Most of the $277 million raised each year would be dedicated to wildlife habitat and water conservation. Significant amounts also would go to parks, trails and the arts. The state sales tax currently is 6.5 percent.

The dedication would extend for 25 years and provide $94 million a year for fish and wildlife resources; $60 million for parks, trails and zoos; $60 million for polluted water cleanup and $60 million for the arts, humanities and public broadcasting.

"Minnesota needs to know that in good times and bad times that our leaders will not put our heritage on hold," Sams said.

The measure would be put on the November ballot. A majority of those voting in the election, not just those voting on the proposal, must approve it to ratify the amendment.

Sportsmen wearing blaze-orange hats huddled outside the Senate chambers and monitored the vote throughout the debate.

Who supports the arts?

There were some objections to adding arts funding to the proposal.

The opposition to the arts funding could leave many elected officials in the prickly position of explaining to the state's sports groups during reelection campaigns why they voted against the long-sought measure.

Sen. Pat Pariseau, R-Farmington, proposed an amendment to the bill that would have dedicated a quarter of a percentage point of the current sales tax for conservation projects and clean water legacy, bringing in $184 million a year but eliminating some of the other groups, such as the arts and parks and trails.

"It has blossomed well out of proportion with partners that have established funding streams," Pariseau said. Her amendment failed.

Another amendment, sponsored by Sen. Claire Robling, R-Jordan, would have split the environmental funding and the arts funding on the ballot. That, too, failed, but not before the debate dissolved into partisan potshots over who is more supportive of the arts.

"When did the Republican Party become so anti-arts, anti- cultural, anti-intellectual?" asked Sen. Richard Cohen, DFL-St. Paul, during debate.

Said Sen. Michele Bachmann, R-Stillwater: "Republicans support the arts just as much as Democrats support the arts. The only question is who will pay for it? We don't want government choosing which arts are subsidized and which ones aren't."

House version called a mess

A House version of the amendment is described as a mess by those following it. One version now includes transportation funding and a same-sex marriage ban.

Sponsored by Rep. Tom Hackbarth, R-Cedar, the bill is barely recognizable from his original proposal, which would have dedicated an eighth of a percentage point of the state's existing sales tax for new efforts to improve hunting and fishing.

A bill sponsored by Rep. Dennis Ozment, R-Rosemount, is a companion to Sams' bill in the Senate, though it calls for a sales-tax increase of a quarter of a percentage point (compared with Sams' proposed three-eighths hike).

In asking for support for the measure, Sams said polling showed that the public would support the additional dedicated funding above the current sales tax but not a dedication out of the current 6.5 percent sales tax, because that would take funding away from health care, education, local government and nursing homes.

After the Senate vote, Gov. Tim Pawlenty called for the final version of the bill to be more focused on conservation and clean water.

"While the arts and public broadcasting are important, they do not rise to the level of being in need of dedicated constitutional support," Pawlenty said in a statement.

Unlike other measures, a proposed constitutional amendment does not require the governor's approval and cannot be vetoed.
http://www.startribune.com/531/story/348019.html

[labs4me]

And there you have it!  Our joke of a legislature in action!!!!!!!   This bill and the resulting vote by the citizens is long overdue and all they are doing is bastardizing it to death.

If only they could go home and look at what they do from our perspective, maybe they'd get something done.  They should be ashamed of their actions, but we keep putting the same dolts in office election after election.

Unfortunatley, the way this is going it will never pass.  Even if it makes a ballot, I can't believe people will vote for something so dilluted down that it's original intent remains only a fraction of what it will accomplish.  Same sex marriage, transportation and arts and public radio have no business being added on as amendments to a conservation initiative.  But the bleeding hearts need to prove to their constiuents that they can secure funding for thier already over funded programs by tagging it on bills that need to get their vote to get approved.  They know that in and of itself, that their is no way they will ever move a bill through both houses asking for additional revenue streams without doing it underhandedly.  Good Luck to all us spotsman on this one... I hope we don't get shafted again....

Good Luck!

Ken

[jigglestick]

Well stated Ken.
The real problem as I see it is, there are not enough people who pay attention to the way our elected officials work.
If they did, this would not be happening.
There would be no such thing as a "special session" either. At least not with pay.

Take out the partisan bickering that may be the downfall of this country yet and focus on the tasks at hand.
This is the same kind of behavior that got Jessie elected.

let the arts support the arts. Let the outdoorsman support the conservation issues.
Let professional sport team owners build their own stadiums.  Let the homosexuals move to France. I think we wouldn't have a problem coming up with funding for that.

i score one for governor pawlenty.

[UncleDave]

This is two years old now an guess what they just finally did?  Raised our sales tax and just about every other tax.  Gotta love the libs!

[Super Star!]

none of this will matter when we fall in to a depression. witch is comeing and comeing fast.