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State Representative Kim Norton
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-9249
For more information contact: Ted Modrich 651-296-5809
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REP. NORTON, HOUSE DFL ASKING FOR MAJORITY LEGISLATORS WITH ‘COURAGE TO COMPROMISE’
(ST. PAUL) — Today Rep. Kim Norton (DFL – Rochester) and other House DFL members held an event in St. Paul to ask members of the majority to have the “courage to compromise." DFL members heard from Minnesotans affected by the shutdown and who would be even more negatively affected by the budget offered by the legislative majority.
“This shutdown has been devastating for thousands of Minnesotans, but we also know their suffering would be made permanent without a balanced budget approach that allows us to keep the programs and services we value, while minimizing damage to our economy,” Rep. Norton said. “DFL members are hard at work, ready to end this shutdown and pass a budget, and are more than willing to work with our colleagues across the aisle to find a compromise.”
Members attending the press conference heard from Minnesotans who are struggling during the shutdown and would face permanent hardship in a budget consisting of cuts alone. Kathy Stevens, a child care provider, is facing an interruption of Child Care Assistance payments during the shutdown. These payments help low and middle-income Minnesotans afford child care and would be cut $33.4 million in the majority’s budget.
Bill Schroeder and Michael Vernell live in St. Paul at a group home for developmentally disabled adults. Services for disabled adults like Bill and Michael are cut by $150 million in the majority’s proposal, while special education is cut by over $40 million.
Claudia Stahl is the Executive Director of Asian Women United of Minnesota (AWUM), a shelter for women who have been physically abused and their children. The shelter serves nearly 1,000 women per year and has seen its funding interrupted during the shutdown. The majority’s proposed budget would cut the program that provides funding for AWUM by at least 5 percent.
“Cuts need to be made and no one disputes that fact,” Rep. Norton said. “I believe that a compromise lies in a balanced approach of both revenue and cuts, but we need members of both parties to be part of a bipartisan solution.
“That’s exactly what we asked for today and I will continue working to respectfully cooperate with those on both sides of the aisle so that we can do what the people of Minnesota have asked us to do – compromise and get the job done,” Norton continued. “It’s time for common-sense, practical, and balanced compromises to end this shutdown, get Minnesota back up and running, and start getting people back to work.”
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