First published in Press Pubs newspapers.
What do you think were the top successes of the recent legislative session?
Back in December, I said my agenda for the year was focused on improving the way we deliver education. By that measure, this year was a success — but we still have room to improve.
- Education: We approved the largest per-student funding increase in 15 years and invested new resources into student literacy and mental health, and added virtually no new mandates. This is exactly what schools had asked for all year — money, not mandates. While we were forced to give up the most important, transformational reform on the table — school choice — we should not overlook how good this session was for schools. They have the resources they need to deliver on their promise to students.
- Emergency Powers: We finally succeeded in ending the governor’s emergency powers. At the outset of Covid-19, we gave Gov. Walz wide latitude to use emergency powers to make quick decisions to respond to the unfolding pandemic. But the governor abused those powers long after they were necessary. We convinced him to reopen schools and managed the pandemic effectively. Getting Minnesotans out from the cloud of emergency powers was an important achievement.
- Relief for Main Street businesses and workers: We approved substantial tax relief for small, Main Street businesses and workers who were hammered by Covid-19 business closures. Many were facing big tax bills, but we successfully passed relief that will allow them to keep more money in their pocket and stimulate our economy.
- Reduced health care costs: I am sure most of you remember the catastrophic rollout of MNsure and the double digit annual premium increases that accompanied it. The program that stablizied the market was something called reinsurance. This year we extended that program for another year, so Minnesotans won’t have to deal with soaring health care costs again. We also invested additional resources into mental and behavioral health, and made improvements to our leading telehealth program to improve accessibility for routine health care procedures.