As recently as a few months ago Republican candidate for Minnesota Governor Tom Emmer was on the record as trying to repeal the constitutional amendment that guarantees funding for parks, the outdoors and the arts. That’s a position that doesn’t sit well with outdoors enthusiasts. On Saturday while debating before outdoor enthusiasts at Game Fair, Emmer said he was no longer in favor of repealing the legacy amendment.
DFL candidate for Governor Mark Dayton welcomed Emmer’s change, but called it a “deathbed conversion” and remarked that deathbed conversions don’t always stick if the patient gets well. Emmer said he was against the legacy amendment because “I didn’t agree on putting the tax in…into our constitution.”
However, in 2008 Emmer sponsored a bill that did put a sales tax into the Minnesota constitution. HF3035 was never passed, but it called for a constitutional amendment that would require the sales tax on items used for fishing to be dedicated to game and fish programs.
Full debate below:
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