By Dan Sparks, State Senator

If I could list the concerns I hear from constituents most often, they would be property taxes, education, health care and energy prices. Last week, Senate Democrats announced our agenda for 2007, and I&8217;m happy to say it includes each one of these priorities. I was also pleased to hear the governor mention most of these issues in his State of the State address Wednesday. We are all committed to taking care of the issues Minnesotans elected us to solve &8212; now comes the task of working together to accomplish that goal.

Here&8217;s what everyone is saying so far and how it might affect your families and your pocketbooks:

Property taxes

The Property Tax Relief Act was the first bill introduced in 2007 to show our commitment to halting the soaring property taxes that have been stifling homeowners. The Senate DFL plan would increase funding for schools and Local Government Aid to relieve local levies, and it would boost property tax refunds for homeowners and expand land market value credits.

The governor mentioned caps on property taxes in his speech. The Senate is interested in working together to achieve property tax relief, but I am hoping there is more to this idea.

Property taxes in our region have increased because state funding for our local schools, cities and counties has plummeted. Our communities have been forced to ask property taxpayers to pitch in to help continue providing vital local services. It’s easy to say we won&8217;t allow property taxes to rise above a certain mark, but there must be an accompanying plan to fully fund schools and local governments, otherwise we’re just creating another problem.

Health care

This, by far, is the biggest issue facing lawmakers. No one believes it can be reformed in one year, but we can create policies that put Minnesota on track to offer coverage to more citizens, lower premiums and reduce red-tape. The Senate DFL has a vast agenda that includes plans to help small businesses and farmers buy into MinnesotaCare to save money. The governor wants to &8220;cover all kids.&8221; His health care proposal announced last week would cover about 14 percent of uninsured kids and allow some families to use pre-tax dollars to purchase coverage. Everyone has their eye on reforming our current system &8212; the debate ahead will be about how to efficiently and affordably reach that point.

Education

The Senate DFL Party&8217;s focus is on pre-kindergarten and early education, an area that has been seriously under-funded in recent years. The governor announced plans to reform high schools and increase performance-based funding. I look forward to hearing from teachers, superintendents and parents that these plans would help us reach the best solution for improving our state&8217;s education system and funding structure.

Energy

When it comes to energy, &8220;renewable&8221; is the key word this year. The Senate has pushed for more renewable energy sources like wind, biomass and ethanol. This year, the governor and many new lawmakers have joined the bandwagon. It&8217;s clear that Minnesota has an opportunity to harness our abundant resources and turn them into profitable, sustainable energy sources. That&8217;s great news for Southern Minnesota, where we have watched wind farms, ethanol and biomass plants grow and prosper by the day. This year&8217;s debate will be about how best to develop this new industry while protecting ratepayers.

I encourage your comments on suggestions on all of these issues as the session moves ahead. My Capitol room number has changed &8212; I am now located in Room 317 of the State Capitol, in the East Wing of the third floor. I also may be reached at sen.dan.sparks@senate.mn or (651) 296-9248. If you would like to subscribe to my weekly e-newsletter, please send an e-mail to my address with &8220;subscribe&8221; in the subject line.

Columns from District 27A State Sen. Dan Sparks, DFL-Austin, appear every other week during the 2007 legislative session.