Saint Paul, Minnesota – 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. State Representative Mary Sawatzky (DFL – Willmar) said that the Legislature made great progress for Minnesota.
“Over the past decade, Minnesotans have been rightly frustrated by the gridlock and roller-coaster of budget deficits, shifts, and gimmicks they have seen at the State Capitol,” said Rep. Sawatzky. “This session, we worked to balance the budget honestly, invested in priorities Minnesotans broadly share like education, property tax relief and job creation, and kept the promises we made to the people of Minnesota.”
The Legislature accomplished a number of goals, including:
Balancing the Budget Deficit without Gimmicks: A decade of deep budget cuts and dishonest shifts and gimmicks have caused Minnesota to lurch from one budget crisis to the next, limiting our ability to adequately fund education and crucial priorities. This session, the DFL budget put an end to roller-coaster deficits with a fair and balanced budget that will finally put Minnesota on sound fiscal footing, and deliver key investments for 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 kids’ futures will allow us to invest in all learners - from early education and all-day kindergarten, to reduce class sizes and restore equity in our K-12 schools, to lower tuition and debt for our college students and their parents.
Creating Jobs: The DFL plan makes $89 million in new investments to spur middle class job creation, calling for more job training, workforce development and small business strategies that are proven job-creating engines to strengthen our economy and workforce.
Fairer Taxes for Middle Class Minnesotans: Over the past decade middle class Minnesotans have been squeezed in order to protect the wealthiest Minnesotans. The DFL budget reverses that trend, providing $400 million in property tax relief for middle class Minnesotans. And it’s paid for by asking the wealthiest 2 percent of Minnesotans and big corporations to pay their fair share.
“We made a lot of progress this session that will move Minnesota forward,” said Rep. Sawatzky. “Our budget will lead to a stronger middle class and a stronger Minnesota.
“I’m looking forward to being back in the district and seeing constituents at events and parades. As always, I encourage folks to contact me if they have any questions about the legislative session.”
Rep. Sawatzky can be reached by phone at 651-296-6206 or by email at rep.mary.sawatzky@house.mn. Constituents can also visit Rep. Sawatzky’s AreaVoices blog, legislative page and sign up for email updates.