Greetings,
Omnibus finance bills that will shape our state budget have cleared the House floor. Joint committees now are in the process of ironing out differences in language between House and Senate versions.
Those bills will come back to our respective floors in the coming weeks for votes on the finished products. I would like to receive as much input from local citizens as possible between now and then. You can click here to weigh in on the issues by participating in an online survey I am conducting.
The focus in St. Paul has turned to policy bills as budget bills are ironed out in conference committees. I also am looking for feedback on those issues on my survey. Some of the questions pertain to our state budget. Others relate to policy, including whether same-sex marriage should be allowed and whether day cares should be unionized. Both of those bills could reach the House floor next week.
I also invite citizens to email me their thoughts on what we should do to make up for the failure of e-pulltabs to fulfill revenue projections necessary in order to pay the state’s share of a new Vikings stadium. I recognize the roll-out of e-pulltab machines has been slow to start and revenue may increase, but we still should be seeking alternatives.
For what it’s worth, bar owners I speak with indicate citizens prefer the old paper pull-tabs. They are concerned fewer people are interested in playing the electronic version and do not want to suffer the financial consequences of switching and receiving less revenue.
So, what should we do if e-pulltabs continue to produce only a fraction of the revenue we need for this project? I am open to suggestions and would like to hear what District 29A residents think we could do to bridge the gap.
As always, I welcome your thoughts, ideas and concerns via email. I will let you know what transpires at the Capitol.
Regards,
Joe