Dear Neighbor,
This is the time of the session where House budget bills are reaching key milestones. Lengthy committee meetings have been taking place and even longer floor sessions will soon begin.
I appreciate the wholesome debate that comes with hashing over issues to develop the best solutions for any given issue. But there is a fine line between being thorough and bogging down the process simply for bogging's sake. I realized this was part of how things sometimes work at the Capitol, however it does take some "adjusting" for me since my background in small business, where efficiency and common sense are top values and time is at a premium, differs greatly in the approach to solutions.
I fully realize this issue is not unique to either major party since I assume it happens no matter which party is in the minority status of the chamber. It has brought a more clear understanding though of why the so-called "drop the plow" tactics can leave the public soured with government, thinking there is more time spent than is necessary to accomplish a goal. I experienced this first hand last week in the Property Tax Committee last week, where we spent well over 10 hours in a meeting, and think it could be said that not all of our time was spent improving the product. That being said, in the end the bill did advance through the process, and because of the efforts (and time listening) I believe the public will be well served.
So the lesson I take away is the I believe we share the same goals on many legislative issues, it's just that we have different ideas for how to reach them.
Take, for example, transportation. A legislative survey I have been conducting in District 20A indicates the vast majority of people want to improve our state's roads and bridges. Gov. Mark Dayton and others want to raise the gas tax by 6.5 percent at the wholesale level (16 cents per gallon at today's prices). House Republicans and others propose designating certain existing tax dollars be applied to roads and bridges.
The governor's plan also makes a portion of his proposed new tax eligible for mass transit projects such as light rail, but I, as well as many others, believe for now we should stick with roads and bridges. We all agree we want better roadways, so the bottom-line question centers on determining the best way to make that happen.
I have real concerns that, in the $40 billion environment of the state's budget, it would be difficult to ensure the additional tax dollars collected would be used as efficiently and as effectively as possible once they enter the General Fund, so continue to oppose the new gas tax.
My objective is to come up with a simple approach to fixing a problem with common sense in a complex environment driven by a combination of politics and a desire to get things done. That applies to transportation and myriad other bills we will vote on in the House this session. I'm not so naïve to believe that will be the path to the end solution, but continue to believe that is why I'm here so will do my best to ensure that approach is not lost any more than necessary.
Stay in touch as things unfold in St. Paul. The aim is to get all of the House budget bills to the floor for votes as soon as possible. Then work will begin in earnest with the Senate and the governor to iron out the differences in our respective proposals so we can put a finished budget in place.
Sincerely,
Bob