ST. PAUL, MN - On Wednesday, Governor Mark Dayton vetoed the tax conformity-emergency education compromise plan as well as the omnibus supplemental spending agreement that was sent to his desk on Sunday by the legislature. In response to the governor vetoing these compromise proposals, State Representative Drew Christensen, R- Savage, released the following statement:
"This is Governor Dayton putting his partisan interests over what is best for Minnesotans. I am extremely disappointed that despite sending compromise proposals to his desk, Governor Dayton refused to come to the table and be engaged in the process."
"The legislature's plan included an average of $96 in new per-pupil spending across the state, education dollars the governor repeatedly called an emergency to stop imminent layoffs of teachers. The governor called this funding an emergency and then chose to put politics first. I am beyond disappointed, I am angry that he has chosen to play politics over doing what is right for Minnesota families. I look forward to working with a new governor next session to build upon the great things we were able to accomplish," concluded Rep. Christensen.
A partial list of those affected by Governor Dayton's vetoes include:
- K-12 students who won’t benefit from school safety funding
- Victims of elder abuse
- People with disabilities, and their caretakers, who would be affected by a 7% cut to the Disability Waiver Rate System
- Victims of opioid addiction, and medical professionals
- Victims of distracted driving
- Special education and Head Start students
- People dealing with MNLARS hassles
- Deputy registrars whose businesses are floundering after MNLARS
- People who need mental health support, particularly farmers and students
- Farmers and agribusinesses that need Section 179 conformity for equipment depreciation
- People who live in rural areas without high-speed internet
- Students who need help to afford college
- People who need job training and businesses that need skilled workers
- Taxpayers who will have a difficulty when filing their taxes next year
- Voters concerned about election security
- Minnesotans concerned about privacy, data breaches, and cyber security
- CPAs and tax professionals who will be dealing with very complex tax filings
- Parents looking to find the best school for their children
- Low-income working families who rely on federal child care subsidies
- New teachers who need licenses, and schools who want to hire them
- Children enrolled in Head Start programs
- Schools that need adjustments to fully fund special education
- Patients who care about transparent pricing for health care and prescription drugs
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