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State Representative Paul Marquart
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-6829
For more information contact: Sandy Connolly 651-296-8877
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CREATING THE GOVERNMENT MINNESOTANS DESERVE
St. Paul, MN – State Rep. Paul Marquart’s vision of redesigning government to provide better results and better value for Minnesotans took another step forward on Wednesday when the House passed a bill establishing the Minnesota Innovation and Research Council.
Marquart said the idea for the council came out of recommendations and community ideas received by the bipartisan Redesign Caucus, which he chairs, and citizen ideas on the Redesign Comment Line.
“Redesign is much more than just a buzz word, it’s actually the key to more efficient government and more value for taxpayers," said Marquart. “The future greatness of our state will depend on achieving our highest priorities and providing services that produce the best results for our residents. I’m hopeful the Innovation and Research Council can play a role in meeting these crucial goals.”
The 15-member Council will be made up of both elected and appointed state office holders, and representatives from education, non-profits, business and labor. The Council will do four things:
• Report to the Legislature regarding innovation ideas and unfunded mandates;
• Provide waivers to administrative rules and procedural statutes to local governments and non-profits;
• Offer grants to local governments for model service redesigns;
• Conduct policy innovation and research.
Earlier this session, Rep. Marquart set up the “Redesign Comment Line”, designed to gather ideas from citizens
across the state on what areas of government can be reformed for improved efficiency and lower costs, and how. The website can be found at www.house.mn/redesign.
Since it was introduced, hundreds of ideas have been submitted. They ranged from eliminating duplication in services such as road maintenance, merging counties and sunsetting programs, to name a few.
Next session, Rep. Marquart expects some of the ideas presented to the Redesign Caucus or to the Innovation Council to come before the legislature as proposals for increasing accountability and value for taxpayers.
“While many of these are small steps, collectively they create a larger movement I believe lawmakers and citizens alike can support,” said Marquart. “Through redesign and reform, we will create the government Minnesotans deserve.”
News Items
- Marquart Selected to Chair House Education Finance Committee - (Posted: 2012-11-16 00:00:00)
- 2012 SESSION UPDATE - (Posted: 2012-05-15 00:00:00)
- May 15th deadline to pay property taxes stings Greater Minnesota homeowners, business owners and farmers - (Posted: 2012-05-15 00:00:00)
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