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Area lawmakers laud bipartisan effort
Staff Writer Despite a short legislative session and a state budget deficit to contend with, area lawmakers said they were pleased overall with the bipartisan effort it took to reach agreements before the midnight Sunday deadline.
Rep. John Ward, DFL-Brainerd, said he was proud to be part of a legislative session that has been characterized as one of the most productive and hardest-working sessions in recent history.
"Personally I'm very proud to be part of a legislative session that had some very difficult financial times but found ways to help people," Ward said, mentioning that school districts and nursing home workers, among others, received a boost this legislative session. "But it has been step by step. With a budget deficit of $935 million, we didn't get to do all that we wanted. ... It was a successful, rewarding, fruitful legislative session. Am I tired? I am totally wiped out."
Ward said lawmakers passed a critical transportation bill and the inflationary clause tied to local government aid for cities for the next two years will help cities keep property tax levies down. As a lawmaker passionate about education, Ward said he's pleased legislators found a way to provide schools with more revenue. School districts will receive a one-time boost of $51 per pupil for the upcoming school year and will be able to transfer $51 per pupil out of the districts' capital funds into operating funds.
Sen. Mary Olson, DFL-Bemidji, said her district had a good year from a bonding perspective. State lawmakers passed a bonding bill that included $21 million to build an event center in Bemidji and there was bonding money made available to move forward on the construction of a new hospital at the Aw-Gwah-Ching site in Walker. Olson said she was extremely pleased that her Star Lakes initiative made it through the legislative process, which rewards lake associations that have made a commitment to lake management that goes beyond what the law requires. She said she would have liked to have seen more in the area of health care reform.
"With the deficit it was not an easy task because we had a lot more need than we had money to spend," said Olson. "I'm happy we were able to reach a bipartisan resolution. We do know a year from now we will be facing a larger deficit problem than we are now. We'll no longer have a budget reserve and next year we'll be facing some really tough choices."
"I think it went very well," said Rep. Larry Howes, R-Walker. "I think if I would have written a script two sessions ago about what I would have liked to see, I think we came out better than that script would have been. We raised the gas tax a little bit more than we needed but that's not the end of the world. I wish we would have done better for education but with the deficit, it's hard to do all the things you want to."
Howes said it was a pleasure to work with area lawmakers, including Frank Moe, DFL-Bemidji, who doesn't plan to seek re-election. Howes said Moe will be missed.
Sen. Paul Koering, R-Fort Ripley, said he was glad lawmakers finished on time but he felt the session could have ended weeks ago.
"Personally, I think we could have finished a couple of weeks ago but there was a lot of bickering and fighting toward the end over differing philosophies," said Koering. "The governor has his own philosophies and the DFL has control of the House and Senate ... But my overall thoughts of the session is that a lot of good things were done but one disappointment I have is, as always, it is more of a Band-Aid approach to fix the problem. We had about $650 million in the reserve account for the state of Minnesota and we spent $535 million of that to help solve the budget crisis we're having now. So in seven- to eight- short months we're back in session with no more reserves and then the cuts or potential tax increases are just going to be that much greater. I'm troubled by the lack of long-term planning, looking ahead five, 10, 15, 20 years on how we're going to fund education, how we're going to fund the environment and transportation. That's what frustrates me the most."
Koering said he's proud of helping to secure a $5 million bonding bill for an anti-terrorism training facility at Camp Ripley to help soldiers be prepared when they go into battle, as well as about $600,000 for a mountain biking project at Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area in Crosby that helps the project secure matching federal money.
Rep. Al Doty, DFL-Royalton, said it was a difficult session because of the state deficit but overall a successful one.
"We're in a deficit year here with almost a $1 billion shortfall but in spite of that we were able to do a lot of good things so I think it was really successful," said Doty. "There are always things that people wanted that we weren't able to quite get an agreement on - environmental issues are pretty contentious - but in general, it was a good session and I think a real plus is that we ended without a lot of disharmony. ...When the details come out in a day or two I think people will be pleased with what we came up with."
JODIE TWEED may be reached at jodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5858.
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