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State Representative Kim Norton
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-9249
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2012 Legislative Session Wrap-Up
It’s great to have the Session behind us and to be able to share some of its outcomes. Back in January, nearly every member of both parties said that job creation and strengthening our economy were going to be our top priorities. While we accomplished some positive action for the people of Minnesota, the legislature continued to struggle with a highly-partisan atmosphere, seemingly forgetting that what’s best for the state and its citizens should remain our focus.
To give you some historical perspective, the 87th Legislature was the 2nd longest since statehood with 248 calendar days. Over 3,000 bills were filed, and 245 bills became law — the fewest since 1869.
Interestingly, when we did work together, we passed two significant job creation bills for the state: a $500 million Bonding Bill and a new Stadium Bill. Public infrastructure across our entire state needs attention and these investments in our infrastructure are crucial for current and future economic growth. Patience, hard work, and cooperation was needed to get these bills done, and I appreciate legislators on both sides of the aisle who worked on these efforts.
While smaller than I prefer, the bonding bill contains several great projects for Southern Minnesota — the Rochester Community and Technical College Workforce Center, the Hormel Institute, and the Lake Zumbro Reclamation Project among them — but other important projects, the Mayo Civic Center expansion and the Zip Rail Line, are glaringly absent. It’s a shame we couldn’t do more, but this bill is a start.
The Vikings stadium debate had remained an unresolved issue for ten years and Governor Dayton made it a priority. It was time to end the debate and vote on the new stadium — I’m pleased it passed. The bill will keep the team in Minnesota; will create 8,000 short term construction jobs through the building phase and 3,400 jobs after the stadium is up-and-running.
The legislature also enacted a bipartisan Health and Human Services law. This law is a great example of what can get done when we truly work together — thank you Chair Abler. This law reforms foster care options for people with autism who are currently receiving home and community-based services. The state will work with counties on pilot autism-specific group homes, provided by people trained to meet the unique needs of these individuals. The bill also contains studies on autism therapies and the high incidence in the Somali population. Thankfully, the law also reverses the tragic 20 percent cut to Personal Care Attendants (PCA) who provide care to a disabled relative that was enacted in last year’s budget. This cut is restored only for this fiscal year and would still go into effect in the next biennium unless addressed next session.
Additionally, a bipartisan Transportation bill passed that contains language authored by myself and Senator Senjem to designate Highway 14 in Minnesota as the Black and Yellow Trail. The idea for this came from a constituent with a love of history. The Black and Yellow Trail is an old, historical name for the trail that started in Chicago and went through the Black Hills in South Dakota to end in Yellowstone. The “Safe Routes to Schools” program was also included in the Omnibus Transportation bill. This grant program will enable children to more safely walk or bicycle to school, and is the key recommendation of the Minnesota Legislature’s Childhood Obesity Working Group, which I co-chair with Rep. Bob Dettmer.
However, much of this positive work was overshadowed by a refusal to work together on other initiatives. Last year, an unwillingness to compromise led to a government shutdown and this year partisanship led to time spent on controversial constitutional amendments and caused an important Tax Bill to be vetoed — this was avoidable, as the two bipartisan jobs bills proved. This climate is troubling to me and should be to any Minnesotan who values bipartisanship, the role of the Governor in the democratic process, and who wants our state government to function properly.
Looking forward, it’s clear we must do a better job addressing issues vital to a successful Minnesota. We still have a big deficit next year, our kids and schools are still owed billions, folks are struggling to find good-paying jobs, and property taxes are still too high.
I firmly believe that the right approach is to work together, with a focus on what we have in common rather than on issues that divide. Let’s stay focused on strong schools, growing our economy, good government, quality health care, fair taxes, and a building our middle class.
It’s an honor to serve you in the Minnesota House. I look forward to being able to spend more time in the district and please continue to contact me with your questions, comments, and ideas.
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