State Rep. Leon Lillie
NEWS COLUMN
Minnesota House of Representatives
District 63B 651-296-1188 – rep.leon.lillie@house.mn
281 State Office Building, St. Paul, MN 55155
CONTACT:
Ted Modrich (651-296-5809)
July 21, 2011
BUDGET CONTINUES SHORT-TERM GIMMICKS
A government shutdown was something that no Minnesotan wanted and was painful for thousands of people across our state.
Governor Dayton did everything he could to find the best budget deal possible, but the Republican majority rejected 7 budget compromises. I appreciate Governor Dayton’s willingness to negotiate and resolve the budget impasse with a Republican majority that seemed unwilling to compromise and unable to govern.
However, I have deep reservations about the details of this borrow-and-spend budget. Increasing the school shift steals money from our children and places more of the financial burden on our public schools. I’m deeply concerned about how schools will make this work. Our schools are already facing shortfalls and dealing with the last shift. I’m afraid we’ll be seeing many more stories in the months ahead about school districts have to take out loans.
Issuing general appropriation bonds is irresponsible borrowing with no guarantee we will receive the funds to pay it back. This shift and borrowing will cost us billions of dollars and will take decades to pay back. These two proposals are the height of fiscal irresponsibility and will hurt our state’s historically strong credit rating, costing us millions of dollars over the next several years.
This deal continues the gimmicks that got us in this mess in the first place and puts us in an even deeper hole moving forward. I would have preferred a stable and predictable revenue source instead of playing the same old budget games and kicking the can down the road again. Minnesota cannot lurch from massive deficit to massive deficit; it is simply unsustainable and damaging to our state.
While I’m pleased that the state government shutdown has ended and a budget is done, I’m extremely disappointed we could not come to a long-term and more fiscally responsible agreement. Going forward, my priority will continue to be working to build a more prosperous Minnesota where all of us have the opportunity to succeed. We will be a stronger Minnesota when we confront our challenges head on, build a world class education system, and put the interests of middle-class Minnesotans first.
On a rare positive note, the legislature passed a bonding bill, which will deliver much needed infrastructure and public projects, while helping creating jobs. Of special importance to our district, the bill contains funding for the East Metro Regional Fire Training Facility in Maplewood.
Right now firefighters in the East Metro area don’t have the training facilities they need to meet National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. By building this facility, area fire departments will be able to meet those standards through state-of-the-art training exercises. A central training facility in Maplewood will also save fire departments money because they won’t have to travel to other parts of the state for training.
High-value projects like these in our community and across the state will build and improve local infrastructure that will enhance our standard of living, and provide long-term economic benefits for Minnesotans. From training our firefighters and first responders, to providing state-of-the-art classroom space for our students, these projects put people to work building Minnesota’s future. That’s an investment in our state and one that’s well worth making.
Right now firefighters in the East Metro area don’t have the training facilities they need to meet National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards. By building this facility, area fire departments will be able to meet those standards through state-of-the-art training exercises. A central training facility in Maplewood will also save fire departments money because they won’t have to travel to other parts of the state for training.
High-value projects like these in our community and across the state will build and improve local infrastructure that will enhance our standard of living, and provide long-term economic benefits for Minnesotans. From training our firefighters and first responders, to providing state-of-the-art classroom space for our students, these projects put people to work building Minnesota’s future. That’s an investment in our state and one that’s well worth making.
One final thing: we’ve had a lot of rain and severe storms in our area the last few weeks. I’m always so impressed by how frequently I see neighbors helping neighbors in challenging situations. Our cities have also done fantastic work in clearing any storm damage.
We have great communities in Maplewood, N. St. Paul, and Oakdale, and it shows in difficult times. Through neighbors helping neighbors and our cities and schools, we’ve seen amazing work dealing with the crisis at hand — whether it’s environmental or financial. Thanks for all that you do to help keep our communities great.
Leon Lillie
State Representative
District 55A