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State Representative Ernie Leidiger
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4282
For more information contact: Jason Wenisch 651-296-2317
GUEST COLUMN
Reform Priorities for the 2012 Legislative Session
St. Paul – The 2012 Legislature assembled last week in St. Paul. This session my colleagues and I are concerned with what matters most to Minnesotans: jobs and the economy, family finances, and government reform. Just as the Legislature enters the new year with its fiscal house in order, we need to ensure that you and your family have the freedom to manage and improve your finances.
I often talk about the need to approach the legislative mission in terms of strategy and its tactical implementation. We legislators must always keep in the forefront of our minds the idea that we need to do more to strengthen the freedom of our citizenry – our people – to unleash human potential, versus enlarging our government that retards economic growth. Putting individual freedom first must be our overall strategy. That’s done by reducing the size and scope of State Government, making it smaller, less expensive to operate, less intrusive, and more responsive to the individual through reforms that streamline functions.
Freedom from governmental intrusion – whether it be excessive taxation or burdensome regulations – will allow us to generate private sector jobs and economic development, as well as provide a healthy environment for improved family finances. But we must recognize that freedom as a strategy and overall goal is not merely an idea. It is accomplished through the day-to-day tactical implementation of legislation.
Last year’s session we worked on reforming the budget. We called it our Reform 1.0 initiative that largely contributed to the $876 million budget surplus we have today. This year’s session, our tactics include a slate of reforms designed to promote and enhance more economic freedoms. We call it Reform 2.0, a package of many common sense bills.
Some of the bills will:
• Raise the threshold for what it takes to increase taxation
• Establish ‘right-to-work’ legislation that ensures employment freedom
• Phase out and eliminate the state business property tax
• Reform the Executive Branch’s Rule Making to include legislative review prior to implementation
• Enhance the Angel Investment Tax Credit to spur entrepreneurial innovation
• Reform the prevailing wage laws to lower the cost of construction projects
• Align government pay and benefits with the private sector
• Create a primary contact for new and expanding businesses so that we have a one-stop shop for growing jobs in Minnesota
These are just some of the initiatives we’ve put forward this year, but I invite you to visit www.reform2.mn for more information. In the end, we aim to save you, the taxpayer, money, promote free market job growth, and provide confidence to our business community to take risks and add jobs.
I thank you for the opportunity to serve District 34A in the state legislature. Please feel free to contact me with any thoughts regarding Reform 2.0 or the 2012 legislative session. I can be reached at 651-296-4282 or by e-mail at rep.ernie.leidiger@house.mn.
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