During the last legislative session in the State of Minnesota, a few things needed to get done and House Representative Melissa Hortman (D-MN) was up to the task. The session began on March 1, 2006 and adjourned on May 21, 2006, a day before the constitutional deadline. This was an improvement over the previous year when a controversial seven-week special session was called. Hortman has remained committed to minimizing legislative costs by having declined per diem pay for the seven-week special session and authoring legislation during her second month in office to cut the pay of legislators if work wasn't done on time.
Dedicated to reaching across the party aisle to get things done, Hortman is one legislator who is willing to act independently of party leaders. She has proven herself not only willing but undeniably able to work with members of all political parties. In fact, she received an award from the Citzens League for her work on the bi-partisan 2020 Caucus and Politics in Minnesota named her a Freshman Legislator of the Year in 2006. Hortman summed up the 2006 session as a civil one marked by many successes albeit some missed opportunities.
Highlights included:
- Passage of a $999.98 million bi-partisan bonding bill which will improve Minnesota's infrastructure and stimulate the economy by creating thousands of good paying jobs. Included in the bill are education, environment and conservation, public safety, roads and bridges, transit, and rail projects all across Minnesota.
- Tax relief including an Active Duty Military Income Tax Credit providing a refundable income tax credit for Minnesota residents who serve, or have served, in a designated combat zone since September 11, 2001.
- An $800 million increase in funding Minnesota's K-12 and early childhood education system.
- Bonds totaling $115 million for building preservation and new buildings for the studies of business, management, medical research, etc., for the University of Minnesota.
- Funding of $5 million for the University of Minnesota to expand its presence into Rochester, Minnesota (home of the Mayo Clinic).
- New standards for facilities that market themselves as assisted living facilities, and funding for 150 additional Alternative Care slots which enable low-income frail elderly persons to remain in their own homes rather than being placed in nursing homes.
- Public safety improvements such as enhanced penalties for civilly committed persons who escape from a security hospital, expanded gang strike force operations and the creation of a new law enforcement unit to combat Internet child pornography.
- Transportation improvements such as motor vehicle sales tax dedication, the fully funded NorthStar Commuter Rail due to open in 2009, funding for various bus lines and the authorization of the use of low-speed electric cars on streets with speed limits up to 35 mph.
- Environmental legislation that lowers mercury emissions of the state's three largest coal power plants, and provides for the funding, testing, monitoring and restoration of water quality in Minnesota's lakes and rivers.
- A variety of bills that help protect consumers with regard to identity theft, telephone record privacy, auto insurance, funeral protesting, eminent domain, home construction and more.
A summary of legislation authored by Hortman was published in the Sun newspaper earlier this year.
Hortman's strongest allies on NorthStar, K-12 education and reducing mercury pollution were moderate lawmakers from both parties. "We made great teams -- working together, instead of against each other," she says.
At a time when we need some sweeping changes in leadership and more progress across the board, the State Capitol needs legislators like Melissa Hortman who will cross the aisle to get things done for the people of Minnesota so we can all move forward together.
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