Minn. House takes aim at those with tax problems

If you want to oversee Minnesota's tax system, you better have a clean tax record of your own.

In response to tax issues that complicated a couple of President Barack Obama's appointments, Minnesota House members have passed a measure that could help the state avoid that kind of controversy.

The legislation was added to a larger federal-state tax conformity bill the House debated and passed on Thursday. It says the governor cannot appoint a commissioner to the Department of Revenue who has failed to file an individual tax return or has unpaid taxes from past years.

House Republicans gave the measure a nickname - the "Geithner-Daschle" amendment. It's named after Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Tom Daschle, who withdrew his nomination for health and human services secretary amid tax issues. Geithner was confirmed despite revealing his tax troubles.

"If the federal government won't set the example for us, we'll set it here in Minnesota and hopefully it will spread across the country," said Rep. Kurt Zellers, R-Maple Grove, who authored the amendment.

Some DFL members initially opposed the measure, fearing the governor's office might have problems with it. After confirming that the governor's office would accept the law change, members approved it on a 123-5 vote.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)