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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Jason Metsa (DFL)

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Rep. Metsa Praises 2013 Session for Investments in Education, Jobs, and Property Tax Relief

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

ST. PAUL, MN – The 2013 Legislative Session adjourned on May 20, finishing on time with an honestly-balanced budget that makes critical investments in education, property tax relief, and job creation. Rep. Jason Metsa (DFL—Virginia) praised the Legislature for delivering on promises to create economic prosperity for middle class Minnesotans.

“I’m proud as hell of what we accomplished this year,” said Rep. Metsa. “We passed a responsible, honest budget that puts people back to work and provides every child with a high-quality education. It’s going to make a positive difference for people of all ages in northeastern Minnesota.”

The Legislature accomplished key goals, including:

  • Balancing the Budget without Gimmicks: A decade of deep budget cuts and dishonest shifts and gimmicks caused Minnesota to lurch from one budget crisis to the next, limiting our ability to adequately fund education and other crucial priorities. This session, the DFL budget put an end to roller-coaster deficits by using a fair, honest approach that finally puts Minnesota on sound fiscal footing while delivering key investments to build a stronger middle class.
     
  • Accelerating Pay Back of Our Schools: The previous legislature borrowed $2.4 billion from our schools. The DFL plan will accelerate a plan to pay back Minnesota’s schools and fully pay them back by 2014.
     
  • Making Historic Investments in Education: The DFL budget makes a historic $725 million in education for all learners. This kind of commitment to our students will help reduce class sizes, restore equity in our K-12 schools, and lower tuition and debt for our college students and their parents.
     
  • Creating Jobs: The DFL budget invests $89 million in proven strategies to create good jobs such as job training, workforce development, and low-interest business loans.
     
  • Fairer Taxes for Middle Class Minnesotans: Over the past decade, lawmakers squeezed the middle class in order to protect the wealthiest Minnesotans. The DFL budget reverses that trend by providing $400 million in property tax relief for middle class Minnesotans. The budget pays for that relief by asking the wealthiest 2 percent of Minnesotans and big corporations to pay their fair share.

“I’m looking forward to going back to my district to talk with my constituents about all the good things our budget does for northeastern Minnesota,” said Rep. Metsa. “It’s a plan designed to grow the middle class and give us all greater economic security. We can all be proud of a plan like that.”

Rep. Metsa encourages his constituents to contact him with any questions or comments about the DFL budget or any other issue. He can be reached by phone at (651) 296-0170, by email at rep.jason.metsa@house.mn, or by postal mail at 521 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.