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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 HELPS APPROVE STATE GOVERNMENT SPENDING RESOLUTION
ST. PAUL - State Representative Rod Hamilton (R-Mountain Lake) was part of the majority in the Minnesota House that approved a state government spending package for the 2006-07 biennium recently. The final total approved by the House was $29.84 billion, which Hamilton noted is $75 million more than Governor Pawlenty proposed.
“This package is more than $2 billion larger than the amount spent in 2004-05,” Hamilton said. “This total equals more than a 7% increase in state government spending, or put another way, equals $400 more for every person in Minnesota.”
Hamilton said the budget resolution is adopted every two years by the House and sets the maximum limit on state government spending. During the debate, an amendment was proposed that would have allegedly added more money to K-12 education in the state, but it was defeated.
“The problem with this amendment is that it did not explain where the additional money would come from for the K-12 increase,” Hamilton said. “Common sense tells me if this had been approved, we would have had to raise income or sales taxes, institute a clothing tax, or further cut other programs to make it work.”
“In addition, the amendment did not allocate where the money would go, meaning there was no guarantee the funding would be dedicated to local classrooms,” Hamilton continued. “It is irresponsible to approve a tax increase without knowing where the money is coming from and determining how it is going to be spent.”
Hamilton said the House’s overall budget figure should be more than enough to meet the growing needs of state government.
“If we wouldn’t have been able to agree on this resolution, it could have created another stalemate where nothing gets done during the session and nobody wins,” Hamilton said. “A $2 billion increase should be enough to meet the rising needs of K-12 education, higher education and the growing cost of government health care programs.”
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