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In a move that "did not reflect well on the authors or the committee or
the House," according to committee member Ron Abrams (R-Minnetonka), the
House Taxes Committee approved a bill that combines the proposed
anti-marriage amendment, an amendment to dedicate vehicle sales tax to
transit, and an amendment to dedicate state sales tax to a wide range of
arts and environment spending.
The committee's five hours of deliberation began with a bill to amend
the Minnesota Constitution to dedicate a percent of the state's sales
tax to improve hunting and fishing in the state. But in a process that
one supporter compared to a circus, the bill was changed into a sales
tax increase dedicated to hunting, fishing, parks, trails, zoos, arts,
humanities, museums, public broadcasting, and water conservation, with
the other two constitutional amendments tacked on for good measure. The
original bill's author, Rep. Tom Hackbarth (R-Cedar), denounced the
transformation as "a political game" that will kill his bill by weighing
it down with partisan provisions.
Rep. Ron Erhardt (R-Edina), who voted against the anti-marriage measure
in 2004 and 2005, was the committee member who proposed adding the
anti-marriage amendment to the final bill. The committee voted in favor
of his proposal, even though Erhardt himself voted no. |
