Dear Neighbors,
It’s no secret our country has faced a severe economic downturn over the past 18 months. Of those who responded to my survey, 39% had faced a wage cut or freeze, 17% had lost a job, and 15% had their hours cut. The number one priority this legislative session was jobs and the economy.
Working bipartisanly, we were able to achieve quick progress. We passed a bonding bill in the first two weeks of session to get Minnesotans back to work as fast as possible. The bonding bill funds construction projects at state colleges and universities and fixes roads and bridges. Thousands of Minnesotans are currently working on these projects because the legislature acted quickly. Within eight weeks, we enacted an angel investment tax credit and a research and development tax credit to spur private sector investment and job growth.
Economic stimulus dollars the state received in 2009 prevented catastrophic cuts to K-12 education, higher education, and health care. More than 70% of our state budget pays for K-12 education, higher education and health care for the disabled, the vulnerable and the elderly. State revenues dropped dramatically and suddenly, so the challenge was to cut the state budget without causing further damage to the economy and without inflicting further pain on those already suffering because of the recession. We balanced the budget by making cuts, but we worked hard to protect schools, public safety and nursing homes.
Sincerely,
