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State Representative Bob Dettmer
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4124
For more information contact: House GOP Communications 651-296-5520
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
The Great Budget Compromise
To the editor,
It took a short special session, but we balanced the $3.1 billion budget deficit without raising taxes. Legislative leadership has been scrambling to find a solution ever since the Minnesota Supreme Court released its decision overturning Governor Pawlenty’s unallotments. They reached an agreement with the Governor late Sunday night, and the bill was passed in a special session on Monday morning.
While I certainly support a balanced budget, I did not vote for this bill because it does nothing to address the long-term issues Minnesota faces. This bill is a quick-fix and completely ignores the $5.8 billion deficit waiting on the next legislature. We technically got the job done, but this plan is like paying the minimum payment on your credit card. That is not much to brag about.
A large part of the deficit is erased by ratifying Gov. Pawlenty’s unallotments. My Republican colleagues and I were hoping to make the unallotments permanent but had to compromise with the majority who wanted them to be one-time only. The unallotment cuts help solve the current deficit, but full funding kicks back in next year. Taking into account we have already been living with them for a year, making the unallotments permanent would have been a relatively simple way to take a major chunk out of future deficits.
The rest of the deficit is addressed through an education funding shift. As an educator of 34 years, I know delaying payments to schools is not ideal, but it is much better than cutting funding. This type of funding delay has been used 18 times in state history, and every time schools have been paid back in full.
The GAMC reform we worked so hard for earlier this session remains protected and is enhanced to benefit rural hospitals. The plan will save taxpayers $700 million next biennium while still preserving coverage to those who need it.
The majority pushed hard for early adoption of the new federal health care legislation, a move that would cost hundreds of millions of dollars and put control of our health care programs in federal government hands. We were able to keep this out of the bill, but as a compromise, the next governor can choose whether or not to participate in early enrollment. Expect health care to be a significant issue as we approach November.
The legislature succeeded in balancing a $3.1 billion deficit without raising taxes, but we have left the onus on the next legislature. They have the daunting task of balancing a projected $5.8 billion shortfall. We must take a reform-minded approach when talking our budget woes. We need long-term solutions not quick fixes.
Sincerely,
By Bob Dettmer
State Representative
District 52A
News Items
- LIMITED SPENDING AND COMPETITVE TAXES GROW OUR ECONOMY - (Posted: Jan 11 2013 3:29PM)
- BOB DETTMER SWORN IN TO FOURTH TERM AS STATE REPRESENTATIVE - (Posted: Jan 11 2013 3:28PM)
- April 5 Legislative Update - (Posted: 2012-04-05 00:00:00)
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