Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/author/leeannwahi/page/4/)
Staying true to their word that property tax relief would be among the session’s top priorities, the DFL majority has laid out a plan that would have more homeowners qualifying for a property tax refund. However, a proposed tax expansion on the state’s budding frac sand mining operations — contained in the same bill — pushed tax relief to the sidelines during testimony.
Calling the current bill to allow for same gender marriages divisive, Rep. Tim Kelly (R-Red Wing) will be introducing a bill Thursday that would allow civil unions to be treated in state statute the same as marriage.
Rep. Peggy Scott is one of 7,000 individuals whose information was inappropriately accessed last year by a Department of Natural Resources employee. The Andover Republican is ready to sign onto any class action suit that may be filed because of the incident. Exhibiting frustration over the breach, her comments came during testimony on a bill that would put in place safeguards to protect private data collected by government entities.
Minnesotans overwhelmingly defeated a proposal in November 2012 to enshrine in the state constitution that marriage is between one man and one woman. With a bill before the House Civil Law Committee that would allow for same gender marriages, amendment supporters caution lawmakers not to interpret the previous voter mandate as support for this particular bill.
When a bill to conform the state’s income tax deductions for 2012 to federal changes was returned to the House with a Senate amendment, the measure went from its previous full bipartisan support, to calls for a conference committee to have the Senate measure stripped.
Let someone bring up the subject of dogs and cats, and you’re bound to have controversy. With that acknowledgement, Rep. John Lesch (DFL-St. Paul) brought forward a bill that has been before the Legislature in some form for the past six years — regulating dog and cat breeders.“It’s been through a lot of changes over the years. It originally was 19 pages, but has been whittled down to nine,” Lesch told the House Civil Law Committee Wednesday. Despite the brevity, this year’s bill, HF84, remains as controversial as the ones before it.The bill would provide a fee, state licensing, inspection procedures, additional standards of care, and administrative and criminal penalties for dog and cat breeders.There are no uniform state laws regulating dog and cat breeding, say bill supporters, including Keith Streff, director of humane investigations with the Animal Humane Society of Golden Valley.“Uniform statewide regulations will save municipalities money, in the long run,” he said. Continue Reading
Increasing the price of a pack of cigarettes may act as a deterrent to smoking, especially for the young, but it could also bring with it some unintended consequences.
People signed up for email alerts from their city regarding such things as snow emergencies or the availability of city council meeting agendas, are most likely unaware that the contact information they provide is considered public information.
For those filing income tax forms, the end of January generally marks the start of the process. But late action by Congress in 2012 to resolve the so-called “fiscal cliff” could stall tax filing, if the Legislature waits on a decision to conform to federal changes.
Look no further than the use of electronic license plate readers and the shift from storing information on a computer hard-drive to the cloud, and you’ll understand the importance of data practices. At its first gathering, House Civil Law Committee Chairman John Lesch (DFL-St. Paul) told committee members the nuanced area of law is “changing as rapidly as the technology in your pocket.”
