Representative Tom Emmer, the Republican candidate for Governor, has consistently voted against the things that could bring more jobs and prosperity to Greater Minnesota.
Whether it's broadband access for rural communities in Minnesota, ethanol and biofuel support or Local Government Aid, his record shows that when it comes to Greater Minnesota, his record is not so great.
On March 24, 2010, Emmer voted against HF 2907, the Minnesota Broadband Act, as it passed the House 118-15. He again voted against the bill on April 21, 2010, as it was repassed as amended by the Senate on a 114-16 vote.
The bill includes goals for broadband access in the state of Minnesota. Goals like, "It is a state goal that as soon as possible, but no later than 2015, all state residents and businesses have access to high-speed broadband that provides minimum download speeds of ten to 20 megabits per second and minimum upload speeds of five to ten megabits per second." And, "It is a goal of the state that by 2015 and thereafter, the state be in: (1) the top five states of the United States for broadband speed universally accessible to residents and businesses; (2) the top five states for broadband access; and (3) the top 15 when compared to countries globally for broadband penetration."
[Minnesota House of Representatives, HF 2907 2010, House Journal 9546, 10362]
On April 24, 2008, Emmer was one of only 7 members of the House to vote against SF 3683, the agriculture omnibus bill, as it passed the House 121-7. Again on May 7, 2008, Emmer joined only 8 of his colleagues in opposing the bill as it returned from conference and repassed the House 123-9. [Minnesota House of Representatives, SF 3683 2008, House Journal 10633, 11546] The 2008 Omnibus Ag Bill Included Increases To State Biofuels Mandate. According to the Minnesota House of Representatives' Session Daily publication wrote about the provisions of the omnibus:
The bill contains an unlikely mix of provisions relating to pesticide use, livestock producer grants and veterans issues. But it is the proposed incremental increase to the state's biofuel mandate that will make the bill memorable, Juhnke said.
The bill lays the groundwork for increasing the mandate incrementally from the current 2 percent blend to 20 percent by 2015. Once the new blend requirement is reached, it would be effective May through September only, with the minimum content for the remainder of the year set at 15 percent.
[Minnesota House of Representatives: Session Daily, 05/07/08]
On May 18, 2008 Emmer voted against a final FY2008-2009 supplemental budget deal to close a nearly $1 billion budget deficit that arose from revenue shortfalls during 2008. The bill passed the House by a 115-19 margin. The bill included increased funding for local schools, increased local government aid, and eliminated a $935 million budget deficit, though most of the deficit reduction came from state reserves. Emmer voted against an earlier version of the measure on April 3.
[Minnesota House of Representatives, HF 1812 2008, House Journal 9762, 12723; Star Tribune, 5/19/2008]