MN Outdoors measure advances

05/17/2007

The so-called outdoors amendment cleared several hurdles in the House and could be headed to the floor for a vote by Friday.


By Mark Brunswick,
Star Tribune
Last update: May 16, 2007


A bill asking voters to decide whether to amend the constitution to dedicate new sales tax revenue for the outdoors, clean water and the arts passed two key House committees on Wednesday and could be headed for a vote on the House floor by Friday.

The bill found itself stranded in the House Tax Committee briefly. It met a similar fate in the Senate Taxes Committee before it was resurrected and ultimately passed on the Senate floor.

The House version passed the Taxes and the Ways and Means committees on Wednesday. Its sponsor, Rep. Tony Sertich, the DFL House majority leader, is head of the Rules Committee where it will land next, signaling potentially easy sailing to the House floor.

The measure met some objections in the Taxes committee over philosophical disagreements about the validity of using the state constitution to set tax policy.

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