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State Representative Tim Faust
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-0518
For more information contact: Michael Howard 651-296-8873
NEWS COLUMN
House Budget Framework Makes Education Top Priority
After over 100 committee hearings at the State Capitol, and over 100 town hall meetings throughout the state, the Minnesota House has released a budget framework to close our record deficit. It’s a fair and honest approach that maintains our commitment to education and positions Minnesota for economic recovery.
From the beginning of session, we knew deep spending cuts would be required to close this deficit. The input we received from Minnesotan helped show us how to prioritize those cuts to provide a pathway to future economic success. Our plan cuts $1.6 billion from the state budget in almost every spending category. Looking inward, we made our largest percentage spending cut to state government, protected schools from cuts, and maximized areas of the budget that promote and create jobs.
Making education one of the top priorities of our budget was essential. During a recession, we must look for ways to rebuild, retool, and protect the investments that will poise us for future economic growth. The Governor provides similar funding support for K-12 education in his budget so I’m hopeful this is an area we can find common ground.
The cuts we have proposed are not easy to make and some will be painful. But just as families are making difficult decision to trim their budgets, so to must state government. We also included a significant delayed payment to our schools, which is not something I’d prefer in an ideal situation. But given what we’re up against, it’s the responsible choice. I’ve talked to many of the school superintendents in our district who have said a delayed payment is better for students than a cut.
There are some key areas of agreement between the Governor and House. Along with similar level of funding for K-12 education, both of us recognize the size of deficit is too large to close without new revenue because the result would be too devastating to Minnesota’s economy and long term vision. If we took a no new revenue approach we would see significantly larger spending cuts in every category, including K-12 education. Nursing homes, hospitals, and at least one prison would close and tens of thousands of jobs in the public and private sector would be lost, including over 10,000 teachers.
The biggest difference in our budget approach is how the revenue is raised. The House proposal would increase $1.5 billion in revenue through a progressive tax increase on Minnesota’s highest wage earners. The Governor uses $1 billion in borrowing from future budgets and relies on a $600 million increase in local property taxes to close the deficit.
The House approach slightly increases taxes on the Minnesotans who haven’t been hit as hard this recession and responsibly addresses our budget shortfall today instead of pushing our debt onto our children. The Governor’s borrowing scheme would take out a billion dollar loan that would cost Minnesotans over $1.6 billion in the long run, essentially maxing out a VISA to make the payments on the Mastercard. By relying so heavily on LGA cuts, he also passes off big property tax increases on the middle and low income Minnesotan who are struggling the most to get through this recession.
The worst economic recession in decades that caused this deficit is forcing us to make a lot of choices that range from bad to worse. I don’t want to raise taxes, but I prefer a slight tax increase on someone making over $250,000 a year than a big property tax increase on cash-strapped homeowners. And I’d rather make the tough choice now, than irresponsibly pass on our debt to future generations.
Minnesotans expect a common sense, honest budget that reflects their priorities. In the coming months I look forward to working with members of both parties toward a solution to our budget that maintains our rich tradition of excellent schools, healthy living, and a thriving economy.
News Items
- Kyle Herman Bill Signed into Law - (Posted: 2010-04-28 00:00:00)
- To Students, Teachers, and Parents: Have a great year - (Posted: 2009-09-14 00:00:00)
- LEGISLATIVE SESSION CONCLUDES - (Posted: 2009-05-19 00:00:00)
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