Minnesota Looks for Balance, Solutions that Work

(St. Paul, MN)- Senate and House Republican leaders traveled across the state Monday to recap the past year and a half of single-party, Democrat control, and offer their positive vision for the productive solutions that balanced leadership could bring to Minnesota.

The decisions made during the 2013 and 2014 sessions by Governor Dayton and the Democratic legislature will increase spending by 12 percent. To make this spending possible, taxes were raised a total of $2.1 billion in 2013 jeopardizing job creation in Minnesota. According to Minnesota Management and Budget, under the Democrats’ budget there have been three consecutive monthly updates where revenue has fallen short of forecasted amounts.

Furthermore, the Department of Employment and Economic Development reports that Minnesota shed 4,200 jobs in April with a growth rate of 1.5 percent, lagging the U.S. growth rate of 1.7 percent.

“As the 2014 session ended, Democrats ignored recent budget warnings and continued to commit hardworking taxpayers to unsustainable spending increases, proving their priorities are wrong for Minnesota. By taking dollars out of the economy to pay for the historic increase in spending, Minnesotans will have fewer opportunities to find good-paying jobs. Minnesota deserves elected officials that respect hardworking taxpayers and leaders who look at problems facing Minnesotans to develop a solution that works for our communities,” said House Republican Leader Kurt Daudt (Crown).

A glaring result of lopsided decision-making was the failed implementation of ObamaCare in Minnesota. Governor Dayton and Democrats’ hallmark law created MNsure, Minnesota’s state insurance exchange.

“Governor Dayton and Democrats spent the 2014 session avoiding everything related to ObamaCare. Democrats’ lack of compassion for Minnesotans who were forced off their insurance, faced obstacles obtaining insurance or had their personal information placed at risk for identity theft is easily one of the biggest government failures in Minnesota history. Republicans offered solutions to avoid some of the problems with the new system but our proposals were unfortunately ignored. Looking ahead we will continue to advocate for patient-centered solutions that work,” said Senate Republican Leader David Hann (Eden Prairie).

Another problem facing Minnesota is our education system. According to the Minnesota Department of Education, 20 percent of high school seniors didn’t graduate in 2013 and two out of every five students failed to meet academic standards in math and reading. Half of all students failed to meet academic standards in science. The “solutions” passed by the Democrats and signed into law by Governor Dayton increases our reliance on standardized tests on students while lowering academic standards on new teachers.

“While the rest of the nation and the world strengthens academic rigor, Minnesota is going in the opposite direction under Democrat control. Minnesota kids deserve and frankly their future depends on a world-class education. Instead of lowering the bar on our teachers and students, Republicans believe we need to provide the necessary tools to help schools meet our high standards,” said House Republican Deputy Leader Jenifer Loon (Eden Prairie).

Republicans contend that restoring Minnesotans’ trust in the legislative process begins by providing value at the very basic level of government, and that revitalizing the state’s transportation infrastructure is one of their highest priorities.

“Democrats should recognize their priorities are out of whack when they committed hundreds of millions of tax dollars to a train that takes over an hour to go eleven miles, instead of repairing potholes so people can get home from work sooner and spend more time with their families. Republicans want to build lanes, not trains – especially in Greater Minnesota,” said Assistant Republican Leader Bill Ingebrigtsen (Alexandria).

Trust in public servants eroded further this legislative session. Democrats took money out of the pockets of hardworking taxpayers, only to turn around and prioritize a $90 million office building for themselves and a constitutional amendment to raise legislators’ pay.

“Serving our communities in the legislature is such an honor and we work every day to represent our constituents’ best interests in St. Paul. One of the unfortunate results of this legislative session is oftentimes politicians’ best interests prevailed over the public’s. I think all Minnesotans are breathing a sigh of relief that the final legislative session under one-party control is over and look forward to balanced leadership in the future,” said House Republican Assistant Leader Tim Sanders (Blaine).

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