Accessibility menu
State Representative Tina Liebling
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-0573
For more information contact:
Press/News Releases
Governor’s veto pen hits Rochester hard
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Monday cut $319 million from the Legislature’s capital investment bill. He also targeted two projects in the Rochester area totaling $36.5 million.
The Governor sent a letter outlining his vetoes as he campaigned for a possible Presidential run in Florida. Rep. Tina Liebling (DFL-Rochester) said she was disappointed the Governor ignored the people of Rochester and the rest of Minnesota.
“The Legislature’s version of the bill would have created more than 20,000 jobs. By cutting funding, we will lose 7,000 to 8,000 of those jobs that are desperately needed right now," Liebling said.
Pawlenty vetoed $28 million in funding to renovate and expand the Mayo Civic Center Complex. That project alone would have generated 400 construction jobs over three years and created 800 permanent jobs throughout our local economy. When finished, the center would attract people from all over the world and generate nearly $3 million a year in state tax revenue.
“This project is important to our own region and all of Minnesota,” Liebling said. “But that might be hard for the Governor to understand since he’s spending more time out of state campaigning for President than listening to Minnesotans”
The Governor also took his veto pen to the $8.5 million appropriation to relocate the Rochester Area Work Force Center to the Rochester Community Technical College campus. This would have linked college students, job seekers, campus resources and employers in one location. At a time when over 200,000 Minnesotans are looking for jobs, Liebling questioned the Governor’s priorities.
“The Governor vetoed jobs by eliminating projects and cut a work force center that was meant to help Minnesotans find employment,” Liebling said. “Jobs and workforce development should be a priority in Minnesota.”
In all, the Governor cut $144 million in higher education funding. This money was to be used to expand colleges, add classrooms and renovate facilities to serve the growing number of Minnesotans looking for jobs.
The Governor did not veto a $4 million project to expand Rochester’s National Volleyball Center and $1 million to extend the Douglas Trail to Rochester’s Cascade Lake Recreation Area.
News Items
- Rep. Tina Liebling Named Chair of House Health and Human Services Policy Committee - (Posted: 2012-11-16 00:00:00)
- Statement on DEED Bonding Project Announcement - (Posted: 2012-09-13 00:00:00)
- Local Legislators to Hold Town Hall Meeting - (Posted: 2012-07-19 00:00:00)
- Archived News Items
- Subscribe to RSS News Feeds
- Read more about RSS.