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State Representative Rod Hamilton
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-5373
For more information contact: Jason Wenisch 651-296-2317
NEWS RELEASE
HAMILTON: TIME TO REPRIORITZE SPENDING
ST. PAUL - State Representative Rod Hamilton (R-Mountain Lake) said he was disappointed to learn that Minnesota’s budget outlook has regressed significantly. State economists recently projected a $935 million deficit for the 2008-09 budget cycle. A year ago at this time, Minnesota was dealing with a $2 billion surplus.
“When I held my town hall meetings, the people told me they wanted balanced spending,” Hamilton said. “By that I mean increasing revenues in certain areas and reprioritizing or decreasing spending in others.”
“With our recent funding increases for transportation, we were finally able to remove some of the financial pressure off our General Fund,” Hamilton continued. “Now we need to reprioritize some of those General Fund dollars towards things like public education and nursing homes.”
Hamilton noted that the Minnesota Legislature increased overall state government spending by ten percent last year.
An analysis of the current economy finds the largest revenue declines in the areas of individual and corporate tax collections. According to the Department of Finance, factors that led to the current $935 million shortfall have worsened over the past few months, including a declining housing sector and tighter credit standards.
Hamilton said compromise will be needed on the parts of the House, Senate and Governor’s Office in order to eliminate the budget shortfall.
“Its going to be tough as some of our leaders can’t say no to spending increases, and Governor Pawlenty has already closed the door on raising taxes,” Hamilton said. “Because of the compromise on transportation funding, we now need to strike balance by prioritizing spending. That means its time to buckle down and prioritize our spending to the areas that truly need it - our schools and long term care facilities.”
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- WITH ECONOMIC TURNAROUND, HAMILTON SAYS IT’S TIME TO PAY BACK SCHOOLS - (Posted: 2012-03-16 00:00:00)
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