State Representative
Mark Buesgens

VENTURA AND MOE SHOULD IMPLEMENT HIRING FREEZES TOO

By State Representative Mark Buesgens

With a projected budget deficit of $1.95 billion, tightening the belt on state government spending must be a priority this legislative session. That's why my colleagues and I in the Minnesota House of Representatives enacted a hiring freeze last week and called on Governor Ventura and DFL Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe to do the same.

Minnesota has one of the largest budget deficits in the nation. Other states, including California, New York, Illinois, Maryland, North Carolina and neighboring Wisconsin, have hiring freezes in place in reaction to their own budget shortfalls. And other levels of government in Minnesota, such as Olmsted County, the City of Minneapolis and the Mounds View School District, already have hiring freezes in place as well. The Minnesota Senate and the State of Minnesota should join this bandwagon.

A hiring freeze is a common-sense way to immediately control spending and a compassionate way to reduce the size of state government bureaucracy. It allows the natural attrition process to save taxpayer dollars and involves no layoffs or pink slips. Without a hiring freeze, layoffs are eminent. Layoffs would require severance pay and other contractual obligations, so a hiring freeze actually would save the state more money than mass layoffs.

House of Representative estimates show that the state could save up to $200 million per year with a hiring freeze in place. Governor Ventura, a self-proclaimed "fiscal conservative" who challenged the Legislature to take quick action to curb the cost of state government in his State of the State Address, has not endorsed a hiring freeze. Instead, he has proposed jacking up a number of state taxes. Roger Moe's DFL-controlled State Senate has not endorsed a hiring freeze yet either and we all know that it's not a question of "if" but "when" the DFL proposes raising taxes.

Ventura and Moe should act immediately and implement hiring freezes. The State of Minnesota and the Minnesota Senate should join the Minnesota House in acting like Scott County families do in tough times by spending less. Ventura and Moe need to wake up and finally realize that the family budget is more important than the government budget.

Mark Buesgens, R-District 35B, represents the taxpayers of Shakopee, Prior Lake, Jordan, and Jackson, Louisville, Sand Creek and Spring Lake Townships. Contact him by phone at 651-296-1072 or via email at rep.mark.buesgens@house.leg.state.mn.us. Sign up to receive his email updates from the Capitol at www.house.mn/35B.