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State Representative Kim Norton
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-9249
For more information contact: Matt Swenson 651-297-8406
NEWS COLUMN
THE 2009 LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Minnesota faced a host of historic challenges this session. Rising unemployment, the deepest economic recession in more than 60 years, and the largest state budget shortfall in history tested the resolve of Minnesotans in many ways. In the face of these challenges, the state’s economic recovery and the future of Minnesota were the focus of the work we did this session to resolve the deficit and preserve our quality of life.
Business as usual was not an option for the legislature this year. Understanding the many unprecedented challenges facing Minnesotans, state lawmakers took a new and aggressive approach to conducting the state’s business; making the process more transparent and reform-oriented than ever before.
We began the session by bringing the budget on the road - talking to Minnesotans where they live in every corner of the state about the serious implications of Minnesota’s multi-billion dollar budget shortfall. We took your input seriously, and crafted a balanced budget based on the priorities of Minnesotans.
That budget cut waste, eliminated programs that didn’t work, and streamlined state government to collect millions in needed savings. Based on the findings of the Legislative Auditor, we routed out fraud and mismanagement both against and within state government - reforms capable of saving taxpayers millions.
We passed a jobs-focused bonding bill, leveraging millions in federal matching dollars to repair and rebuild critical infrastructure and put Minnesotans work. That bill included $1 million for asset preservation efforts at Rochester Community and Technical College and $5 million to extend waste-to-energy steam pipes to RCTC.
Working together, we evaluated state spending line by line and made nearly $2 billion in needed budget cuts - more than Governor Pawlenty recommended because the deficit was so large. In making those cuts we were careful to protect the state’s most vulnerable citizens from bearing the brunt of the deficit - our students, the sick, elderly, and disabled. We put schools, hospitals, and nursing homes first, and made every effort to prevent further job losses.
The governor signed each of these bills into law. In fact, Governor Pawlenty and the legislature agreed on how to resolve much of the $6.4 billion budget deficit. We agreed to make $2 billion in cuts, use $1.8 in federal recovery dollars, delay $1.8 billion in payments to schools, and raise $1 billion in new revenue to avoid deeper, more damaging cuts. Unfortunately, we disagreed how to pay for the $1 billion in new money.
The governor offered a plan to borrow $1 billion. I joined 130 Republicans and Democrats in the House in voting down that measure. It would have cost Minnesotans $800 million in interest and taken 20 years to pay back. I couldn’t support a plan to pass this problem onto our children.
Instead, I supported a pay-as-you-go approach to raise $1 billion through: 1) a tax on credit card companies that charge excessive interest; 2) a new income tax bracket for the state’s highest earners; and 3) the first alcohol tax increase in 22 years (3-5 cents). Additionally, several tax credits for businesses were included to support job growth. This approach ensured all Minnesotans shared in the solution - not just our most vulnerable. Every penny would have gone exclusively to minimize cuts to hospitals, schools, and nursing homes.
Unfortunately, Governor Pawlenty vetoed this compromise. He now plans to make further damaging cuts himself through a rarely used unallotment process designed for emergencies.
The full details of the governor’s unallotment plans have not yet been released. But Governor Pawlenty has indicated those cuts could likely resemble his original budget proposal and recent line-item veto that eliminated General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) in Minnesota. The GAMC veto cut $381 million from our hospitals dedicated to treating the poorest people in the state - including veterans and senior citizens. In total the cut will eliminate medical care for 30,000 of Minnesota’s poorest, sickest citizens and cost as many as 8,000 jobs in hospitals across the state.
Locally, Governor Pawlenty’s GAMC line-item veto amounts to a $23.2 million cut to Rochester area hospitals, including: $19.3 million in cuts to St. Mary’s Hospital; $2 million in cuts to Rochester Methodist Hospital; $1.4 million in cuts to Mayo Psychiatry and Psychology; and $455 thousand in cuts to Olmsted Medical Center.
I am gravely concerned about what these cuts might mean for our local hospitals and Minnesotans statewide; from those who will lose their jobs to those who will lose their health care.
I am deeply disappointed in the governor’s decision to balance the budget without working with lawmakers who were elected to do this task. Still, I will continue working to make your concerns known to the governor to ensure this process meets the needs of our community, so please continue contacting me with your questions and concerns.
Kim Norton
State Representative
District 29B
(651) 296-9249
rep.kim.norton@house.mn
News Items
- Rep. Norton Selected as Vice Chair of House Health and Human Services Finance Committee - (Posted: 2012-12-14 00:00:00)
- It’s Time for Legislature to Get Back to Basics, Balance the Budget Honestly - (Posted: 2012-12-11 00:00:00)
- Second Saturday Coffee Meeting Date Changed to December 9 - (Posted: 2012-12-03 00:00:00)
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