The Minnesota Catholic Conference, the public policy voice of the Catholic Church in Minnesota, provides an occasional “Inside the Capitol” update.
By Minnesota Catholic Conference
Every summer the Minnesota State Fair becomes a place to meet with legislators and take part in the nonpartisan (and non-scientific) House Public Information Services Office’s opinion poll. This year, 5,231 Minnesotans voiced their opinion on 12 policy matters.
Of those dozen questions, the Minnesota Catholic Conference has been actively involved in four, including promoting school choice, opposing the recreational marijuana industry, opposing sports gambling, and ensuring everyone living in Minnesota (regardless of immigration status) is required to learn the rules of the road and be licensed to drive.
As with any survey, but particularly an unscientific one such as this, one must consider that results can be skewed due to biased wording. For example, the question posed to fairgoers regarding school choice used the term “vouchers” rather than “education savings accounts” (there is no “voucher” bill in front of the Legislature). Regardless, the results showed a plurality of respondents favor enabling parents to choose a school that best meets their child’s needs.
The question regarding driver’s licenses failed to help respondents understand that regardless of one’s immigration status, all drivers would be required to pass a test to become licensed, thereby improving road safety for all. This consideration may have changed the 57 percent of respondents who opposed the proposal.
The question regarding recreational marijuana failed to acknowledge that the law would enable a marijuana industry to profit off users. Compared to the previous poll, there was a small uptick in the number of people favoring legalization (58.3%) as well as an uptick in those opposed (34.1%) showing fewer people remain undecided.
When asked about legalizing sports gambling — another activity that preys on people’s vices — respondents were evenly split. These results show that as Catholics we must help our legislators understand that legalizing harmful activities to generate tax revenue is fiscally irresponsible and will produce long-term costs that will need to be remediated by more public services.
MCC takes closer look at housing issues
Adequate shelter is a basic human need, as housing is a cornerstone of family stability and child development and traditionally is one the best avenues for building economic stability and generational wealth. As MCC considers a long-term policy agenda to provision the family and promote family economic security, we are more closely examining issues surrounding housing policies.
We are monitoring the Legislative Commission on Housing Affordability’s work. One item that this group of eight legislators is tasked with is making recommendations on legislative proposals that positively impact access to homeownership, especially for first-time homebuyers.
Recently, the commission acknowledged that the severe housing inventory shortage is a root cause of why families encounter difficulty finding affordable rental units or becoming first-time homebuyers. While the shortage is driving up prices, municipal regulatory frameworks imposing limits on types of housing construction and requirements that raise building costs also affect the supply and price.
Rep. Steve Elkins presented his idea for a bill, the Comprehensive Housing Affordability Act, which he says could help eliminate some impediments to new housing development. The bill has problems but is a starting point; MCC will monitor ways to ensure legislators see the connection between housing costs and family formation, childbearing, and family economic security.
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