Public Policy Issues (Archive 1.24.05)
This legislative update published on January 24, 2005
"I am, was and always will be a catalyst for change."
Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005), first Black woman to serve in U.S. Congress
1. Unmarried Victims Could Lose Legal Protections
2. Crime Victim Services at the Capitol This Week
3. Sex Offender Community Supervision
4. Child Care, Legal Services, Employment, and Welfare
5. Health Care and Mental Health
6. Drug Laws and the Justice System
7. The “State of the State”
8. Governor To Announce State Budget Plans This Week
9. Bill To Protect Victims From Strangulation
10. President Bush Inaugurated
11. Tubman Family Alliance Executive Director Visits Capital Hill
12. Help For The Homeless
13. State Tax Relief for Tsunami Aid
14. House Bill Passes to Keep Gang Strike Force Afloat
15. Immigration and Driver’s Licenses
16. Contact Us
1. Unmarried Victims Could Lose Legal Protections
An amendment to the Ohio Constitution to prevent gay marriage is being used to block the prosecution domestic violence crimes in unmarried relationships—heterosexual and gay/lesbian. A measure introduced in the Minnesota House could hold similar consequences for the domestic abuse related crimes in Minnesota. More than 80 percent of the 1,400 women who utilized emergency shelter at Tubman Family Alliance last year were unmarried—often single, widowed or divorced.
The Minnesota bill, which would define marriage as the union between one man and one woman, has gone onto the House Civil Law Committee for further review. (H.F. 6)
"The thing is, you can only get a domestic-violence charge now if you are a wife beater, not a girlfriend beater," said Jeff Lazarus, a law clerk from Ohio. The Cuyahoga County public defender's office has moved to dismiss domestic violence charges against unmarried defendants since the state’s marriage amendment was passed by voters last November.
"It's a bad, bad thing," Cathleen Alexander, director of the Domestic Violence Center in Cleveland told the Plain Dealer. "We're very worried that some victims will not be granted the protection they need because they're not married. That could jeopardize people's lives.”
Back to Top
2. Crime Victim Services At Capital This Week
Crime victims services is on the agenda of an important Senate Committee this week. The Joint Crime Prevention Budget Division and Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee will meet for an overview and report on crime victim services this Wednesday.
Senate Joint Crime Prevention Budget Division and Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee
Chairs: Sen. Jane Ranum (DFL-Minneapolis) and Sen. Leo Foley (DFL-Anoka)
Agenda: Crime Victim Services
When: Wednesday, January 26, 2005, 12:00 noon
Where: Minnesota State Capitol, Room 112
Back to Top
3. Sex Offender Community Supervision
Senate and House Committees are meeting this week to discuss the Legislative Auditor’s report on community supervision of sex offenders.
Senate Joint Crime Prevention Budget Division and Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee
Chairs: Sen. Jane Ranum (DFL-Minneapolis) and Sen. Leo Foley (DFL-Anoka)
Agenda: Sex Offender Supervision
When: Tuesday, January 25, 2005, 3:00 pm
Where: State Capitol, Room 107
House Public Safety Policy and Finance Committee
Chair: Rep. Steve Smith (R-Mound)
Agenda: Sex Offender Supervision and Governor’s Budget Plan
When: Wednesday, January 26, 2005, 10:15 am
Where: State Office Building, Basement
Back to Top
4. Child Care, Legal Services, Employment, and Welfare
The House Jobs and Economic Opportunity Committee is scheduled to hear from Carol Spector from the Children’s Defense Fund, Ann Kanter-Roth from the Childcare Works, Reggie Wagner from Legal Services Advocacy, Karen Kingsley from Affirmative Options, Kerri Thomas from Jobs Now, and Linden Gawboy from the Welfare Rights Committee.
House Jobs and Economic Opportunity Committee
Chair: Rep. Bob Gunther (R-Fairmont)
Agenda: Human Services Advocacy Groups
When: Tuesday, January 25 at 8:15 am
Where: State Office Building, Room 10
Back to Top
5. Health Care and Mental Health
The House Committee on Health Policy and Finance is scheduled to hear presentations on the Department of Human Services Health Care Services Study and the Department of Human Services mental health restructuring efforts, by Assistant Commissioner Wes Koositra.
House Committee on Health Policy and Finance
Chair: Rep. Fran Bradley (R-Rochester)
Agenda: Health care services study and mental health
When: Tuesday, January 25, 2005, 10:15 am
Where: State Office Building, Room 10
Back to Top
6. Drug Laws and the Justice System
The House Public Safety Policy and Finance Committee will address the impact of alcohol and other drugs on the justice system and model drug court laws, with a presentation by the Minnesota State Chemical Health Team.
House Public Safety Policy and Finance Committee
Chair: Rep. Steve Smith (R-Mound)
Agenda: Impact of alcohol and other drugs on the justice system
When: Thursday, January 27, 2005, 10:15 am
Where: State Office Building, Basement
Back to Top
7. The “State-of-the-State”
Gov. Tim Pawlenty addressed the state from Rochester on January 18. Speaking to the citizens of Minnesota, the Governor reaffirmed his commitment to better sex offender laws, saying “We also need to better track, convict, and lock up sex offenders for as long as possible. I urge the passage of legislation that accomplishes this as soon as possible.”
Speaking of state sponsored programs, the Governor said, “We must restrain the growth in these programs to sustainable levels by wisely and humanely changing them so they are comparable to surrounding states, and more focused on those with the fewest resources and the greatest needs.”
Raising income taxes is not an option, says Pawlenty, stating “Some argue that we should raise taxes rather than slow the growth in these programs. That is simply unrealistic. Income tax revenues would have to double every eight years to pay for these programs at their current rate of growth.
Healthcare was another highlight from the Governor, “The other big challenge is that our government welfare health care system is out of control and growing at a rate that will consume almost all of the state’s budget within 15-years. If we don’t get this under control, it will bankrupt the state and strangle our ability to fund out other priorities such as schools and roads.”
Back to Top
8. Governor Announces State Budget Plan This Week
Crime Victims funding is down $2.4 million over a two-year time period, and Family Violence Shelter funding is down $5.2 million over two-years from only four years ago.
Governor Pawlenty intends to announce his Budget Plan on Tuesday, January 25 around noon. After reviewing the Governor’s Budget, various interested parties will meet to decide what sort of budget request to put forward with various bills in the Senate and the House.
Back to Top
9. Bill To Protect Victims From Strangulation
The Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women intends to introduce a bill that would make it a felony to strangle a family or household member. This initiative would create a new law intended to protect victims of family violence from strangulation and establish strict penalties for those who inflict this type of abuse.
Back to Top
10. President Bush Inaugurated
In his second inaugural address, President Bush committed the United States to defeating tyranny and expanding freedom. In his 22-minute address, President Bush outlined his vision for America’s role in the world.
“To give every American a stake in the promise and future of our country, we will bring the highest standards to our schools and build an ownership society. We will widen the ownership of homes and businesses, retirement savings and health insurance, preparing our people for the challenges of a life in a free society,” highlights the President’s message on domestic issues.
President Bush also tied domestic freedom to foreign affairs, stating “…our country must abandon all the habits of racism because we cannot carry the message of freedom and the baggage of bigotry at the same time.”
Back to Top
11. Tubman Family Alliance Executive Director Visits Capital Hill
Beverly C. Dusso, Executive Director of Tubman of Family Alliance, took to the nation’s Capital last week to dialogue with our nation’s leaders about this year’s reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and other top family violence prevention issues.
“Our congressional leadership was excited to hear we’re doing such effective work in Minnesota. It’s important that we let our leaders in Washington know that reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act is key to our future innovative approaches to family violence prevention,” says Dusso.
Dusso met with Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) and Representative Betty McCollum (D-MN) as well as staff from the offices of Senator Mark Dayton (D-MN), Congressman Mark Kennedy (R-MN), and Congressman Martin Sabo (D-MN). She also met with key leaders at the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the National Institute of Justice.
Back to Top
12. Help for the Homeless
Included in the Senate’s Bonding Bill is a $20 million proposal for housing initiatives to combat homelessness. The funding is the first step in Governor Pawlenty’s plan to end long-term homelessness between now and 2010, and was presented to the
House Jobs and Economic Opportunity Committee.
The comprehensive Senate version of the Bonding Bill sailed through its first committee on a bipartisan vote of 21-0 on January 19, and is expected on the Senate floor for a vote on Monday, January 24.
Back to Top
13. Tax Relief for Tsunami Aid
Minnesotans could have a tax incentive to help victims of the December 26 tsunami that devastated a number of nations along the Indian Ocean rim, under a billed passed by the house 132 – 0. Sponsored by Rep. Ron Abrams (R-Minnetonka) and Sen. Ann Rest (DFL-New Hope), the bill now moves to the Governors desk. The bill would conform Minnesota law regarding charitable giving deductions to a federal law signed by President Bush on January 7. It would allow those who donate to tsunami aid efforts during January 2005 to deduct those cash contributions on 2004 state individual and corporate income tax returns. (H.F. 166, S.F. 218)
Back to Top
14. House Bill Passes to Keep Gang Strike Force Afloat
The first bill to pass the House in 2005 was a $30.4 million deficiency spending (public funds obtained by borrowing rather than by taxation) measure to help keep afloat the Minnesota Gang Strike Force, public defenders, and a handful of other state programs. (H.F. 57)
Sponsored by Rep. Jim Knoblach (R-St. Cloud), the bill passed by a 132-2 vote. It now moves to the Senate, where Sen. Richard Cohen (DFL-St. Paul) is the sponsor of the companion bill. Some of the larger shortfalls addressed in the bill include funding for treatment centers for sex offenders, prison beds and health care costs driven by methamphetamine offenders, and relocation costs for the agriculture and health departments. (SF350)
Back to Top
15. Immigration and Driver’s Licenses
In the U.S. House, Congressman Sensenbrenner (R-Wisconsin) announced that he would introduce a bill to restrict immigrant rights to driver’s licenses. Although no copy of the legislation has been made public, it is believed that the bill will not allow driver’s licenses for immigrants who cannot prove lawful presence, limit who is “lawfully present” to certain immigration categories and require state driver’s licenses to expire on or before a person’s visa does.
Congressman Sensenbrenner is expected to introduce bill when Congress reconvenes the week of January 25.
For a summary of the House driver’s license provisions in the intelligence bill, go to the National Immigration Law Center.
Back to Top
16. Contact Us
This legislative update is produced by Tubman Family Alliance, a pioneer in family violence prevention nationwide. Tubman Family Alliance offers a full range of services for all community members—men, women, and children—with the aim of preventing and ending family violence.
Get involved by volunteering at Tubman Family Alliance, or invite the Tubman Speaker’s Bureau to bring violence prevention outreach to your workplace, faith community, civic group or professional association.
For further information on legislative issues and how you can help take action, contact Randy Schubring, Director of Public Affairs at Tubman Family Alliance at 651-770-8544/612-825-3333 or at grassroots@tubmanfamilyalliance.org.
Back to Top
This Public Policy Updated Published January 24, 2005.
Editor: Randy Schubring
Writers: Christina Fahling and Margaret Ostrander
|
