Minnesota just completed a little experiment in single-party control of state government – something we have not experienced in quite some time.
Some people predicted ‘doom-and-gloom,’ but instead, I believe we have seen tremendous progress, good practices in government, and a willingness to listen and work together with everyone – a welcome change after ten years of gridlock.
Across the nation, the states with single-party control, Republican or Democrat, seem to be the states getting things done. The only question is what are we doing?
We do not have to look far to see what Wisconsin has done, where single-party control took our neighbors backwards in terms of access to affordable health care, protections for workers and economic development. Wisconsin has one of the worst records in job creation and continues to focus on failed voter ID initiatives.
Minnesota is doing much better than Wisconsin. Our Legislature faced big challenges when the session began, including a $627 million budget deficit and over $800 million in debt to our schools, but we restored fiscal stability by paying back all of the money borrowed from our schools, turning our deficit into a surplus and investing new revenue in priorities like education, property tax reductions and job creation.
Despite the cynical ‘doom-and-gloom’ predictions from some people (which have not come true), the facts show our approach is working well and that Minnesotans have good reason to feel optimistic about our future.
After ten years of gridlock, budget deficits and a stubborn unwillingness to invest in our future, we turned our state in a new direction and delivered significant progress for individuals, families and businesses – especially here in Northfield.
From the time the session began, employers have added over 50,000 jobs statewide, restoring all of the jobs we lost during the Great Recession. In Rice County, the unemployment rate fell from 7.3 percent to 5.0 percent. In Le Sueur County, it fell from 9.3 percent to 6.6 percent.
New pay equity requirements for state contractors and stronger workplace protections for pregnant women and nursing mothers mean more economic security for middle-class families. Nursing homes and care providers are receiving a long-overdue 5% funding increase. In addition, minimum wage workers will soon receive their first pay raise in almost a decade.
Property taxes in Northfield, Lonsdale, Montgomery and Dundas decreased for the first time in years. Thousands of homeowners in Rice and Le Sueur Counties are receiving bigger property tax refunds this year. And residents can continue to count on high quality services like police officers, firefighters and strong schools.
By making investments in education, from preschool through college, we restored Minnesota’s historical commitment to academic excellence. Investing in our children is the best investment we can make.
Northfield Public Schools, Tri-City United and New Prague Area Public Schools all received significant funding increases, including funding for all-day Kindergarten for every child beginning this fall. College students are taking on less debt because we froze tuition and enacted the largest financial aid increase in a decade. These are the kinds of investments that will help build a highly skilled workforce that can attract and maintain large employers to our region and our state.
I was proud to author and pass local legislation to expand the Mill Towns Trail, strengthen Minnesota’s ‘Buy the Farm’ law, expand the city of Montgomery’s public safety building and secure funding for the Forever Green Agricultural Initiative, which will fund research at the University of Minnesota to add winter-annual and perennial crops to our agriculture sector. This is not only good for farmers, but it will also protect our soil and keep our water clean.
The facts show that Minnesota is on the path to a brighter future. We are building a middle class economy that works for everyone.
I look forward to visiting with you over the summer and fall to talk more about Minnesota’s positive momentum and how we can keep our state on the right track.