InTheArenaOnline

My name is Steve Elkins and I’m running to represent you in Minnesota House District 49B.

I was first drawn to public service in Minnesota, when my two daughters were attending Bloomington Public Schools. As a problem solver, I saw the challenges the district faced regarding transportation and school start times. From that experience, I learned of the greater transportation issues facing our community, and decided to use my background in transportation economics to give back to our city.

I now hope to use my integrity, experience and the love of our community to continue my work representing you at the state level.With your support, we have the power to shape our community. Thank you for joining me in this work.

These are the issues I will fight for.

EDUCATION

Our state’s most important priority will always be education and our students. A well-educated workforce is the linchpin of Minnesota’s economy. We need to improve the quality and relevance of education in our state to prevent opportunity gaps.Persistent underfunding of local school districts by the State Legislature has led school districts to rely increasingly upon local school property tax levies to close funding gaps. This is leading to both increasing local property taxes and increasingly unequal and inadequate funding of school districts across the state. I will advocate to increase general fund support for education at all levels to enable each school district to provide a quality education to every student.

TRANSPORTATION

We need a transportation network that connects our residents to housing and jobs. The state legislature has been kicking the can down the road on the issue of transportation funding for a decade. I will work to secure permanent sustainable funding for our region’s integrated transportation system.At present, the region’s largest single source of transportation funding is the property taxes which we pay to our cities and counties to maintain city streets and county roads. The state gas tax now funds less than 30% of the cost of building and maintaining our system of roads and bridges, and this percentage shrinks every year. I will use my extensive knowledge of transportation policy solutions to help close our funding gap.

HEALTHCARE

I’m at an age where I have been spending a great deal of time over the last year or so researching the various Medicare options that exist in today’s market.  My research has led me to the conclusion that “Medicare for all” (with a Medicare Advantage option) is a viable model for a universal healthcare system which removes the burden of financing healthcare from the backs of employers, a cost that is unfairly burdensome for small businesses. In the meantime, we need to continue supporting options such as MinnesotaCare which provide a healthcare safety net for those without adequate employer-sponsored health insurance.

HOUSING

As recent reports from both the Metropolitan Council and the Governor’s Task Force on Housing reveal, Minnesota is not building enough housing, especially affordable housing, to shelter its growing population. As a result, housing prices are increasing to levels beyond the reach of many families. Newly forming families are unable to find starter homes that they can afford and increasing numbers of families find their budgets strained by high rent payments. Housing instability makes it harder for students to learn and for workers to hold down steady jobs, threatening the future of the state’s economy. I will support programs which preserve existing affordable housing, support the construction of new affordable housing and reform regulations which make it difficult for homebuilders to build the entry-level housing that the market demands.

LEGISLATIVE DYSFUNCTION

First, the legislature must address its own dysfunctional processes. The Minnesota State Constitution requires that all bills be confined to a single subject which is expressed in the bill’s title.  However, the State Legislature has not observed this provision and the State Supreme Court has not enforced it. This year, the legislature’s departure from this rule reached a new low, with almost all policy and budgeting provisions being packed into a single bill which was almost a thousand pages in length. Gov. Dayton was right to veto this grossly unconstitutional bill. As a result, many provisions with broad support, including legislation to improve the regulation of assisted living facilities; common sense gun safety provisions such as universal background checks and a prohibition on the sale of military assault rifles and bump stocks; and the “hands-free” bill to prohibit the use of handheld cell phones while driving, were not passed into law. Former House Speaker and new State Supreme Court Justice Paul Thissen has suggested that this problem be addressed by amending the Rules governing the conduct of the State Legislature to enforce the “single subject rule”. My first action upon filing to run for the State House was to obtain a copy of the current House Rules so that I could figure out how best to implement Justice Thissen’s suggestion at the beginning of the next legislative session.

TAX CONFORMITY

An urgent order of business for the Minnesota House needs to be a bill which updates the state tax code to reflect the changes that were made to the federal income tax structure at the end of last year. The tax conformance bill which was vetoed by Gov. Dayton at the end of this year’s legislative session included a provision which would have granted a $200 million tax credit to state corporations (which have already received a huge tax break the federal level).  Perhaps of greater concern, the bill included provisions which would have led to a huge budget deficit in future years. When the legislature reconvenes, we need to immediately pass a tax conformance bill which protects Minnesota taxpayers from automatic state income tax increases which would otherwise result from the federal tax structure changes, and simplifies the filing of Minnesota income taxes. Any overall reduction in state income tax collections resulting from this bill should be focused on reducing the taxes paid by middle-class families.

GUN SAFETY

I’ve been named a Certified Gun Sense Candidate by Moms Demand Action and I’m a longtime supporter of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. I learned a healthy respect for firearms as a child through an NRA Junior Rifle Club Hunter Safety program, using a single-shot .22 rifle with a peep sight. I voted for the Minnesota Legacy Amendment, which enshrined the right to hunt and fish in the state constitution. However, I do not believe that there is any place in our society for private citizens to own or use military-style assault weapons, especially those equipped with large capacity magazines or bump stocks. I will support common sense gun safety laws which ban the sale of these types of weapons and I will support universal background checks.