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State Representative Patti Fritz
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-8237
For more information contact: Sandy Connolly 651-296-8877
NEWS COLUMN
LEGISLATORS, AND FAMILIES, HAVE TO ASK THEMSELVES TOUGH QUESTIONS
Over the last few weeks, I have heard this question raised: why hasn’t the state legislature unveiled its plan to balance the state budget? I thought it might be useful this week to answer that question, as well as provide a look ahead.
Setting a state budget is an involved and challenging process – especially when there is a budget deficit. As is mandated by law, the Governor begins the process by submitting his proposal. While he had several weeks and all the state departments involved in arriving at his budget, the state legislature only begins that process after we receive the Governor’s plan. We do not start from scratch, but rather utilize his plan as the starting point and work from there. In addition, the Governor’s budget was well over one hundred pages long, and the consequences of many of his proposals were not readily apparent. The various finance committees in both the House and Senate have spent the last four weeks examining this budget closely, identifying both areas of agreement and areas where we would like to do things differently.
It has also been evident that our budget situation will change drastically when the February forecast is released next week. The Governor’s current budget is based on the $4.8 billion deficit that was projected last December; it is expected this number will grow to as much as $7 billion. This is the number that must be reconciled in this year’s budget – even the Governor will have to start over to address the additional deficit. Once we have the accurate budget deficit number, the budget process will move forward much more quickly.
Over the last two weeks, a bipartisan group of legislators has traveled the state to listen to the concerns and suggestions of Minnesotans about the state budget. We heard from college students who can’t afford another tuition increase, parents who fear budget cuts will eliminate life-saving services for their disabled children, unemployed men and women who can’t get health insurance, seniors who are losing their homes, and scores of people who can’t find a job.
These stories raise a moral dilemma: what should be the top priorities of a government that is facing such a large deficit? The questions we have to ask ourselves as we move forward are, first, what are we willing to give up, and second, what are we willing to do to keep what we want? These are not easy questions, and there are no easy answers. However, they are the very same questions Minnesota families are grappling with as they struggle to make ends meet with limited resources. The best thing we can do during this time is keep communicating with each other. I will do my very best to keep you informed of the decisions that are being considered, and to listen to your ideas for how we can best move our state forward.
Please join me at my town meeting this Saturday, February 28th, at the Faribault Community Center from 10:30 a.m. - noon. We are all in this together, and I’m looking forward to hearing from you. You can reach me at (651) 296-8237, 551 State Office Building, 100 Martin Luther King Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155 or via e-mail at rep.patti.fritz@house.mn.
News Items
- STATE REP. PATTI FRITZ PARTICIPATES IN START OF LEGISLATIVE SESSION - (Posted: Jan 9 2013 3:32PM)
- Rep. Fritz: Homeowners, Farmers Need Property Tax Relief - (Posted: 2012-05-01 00:00:00)
- Rep. Fritz: Let’s Vote on a Bonding Bill that Benefits All - (Posted: 2012-04-19 00:00:00)
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