Edina Legislator Calls Governor's Budget 'Disappointing'

A few days after from the Legislature, Gov. Mark Dayton introduced his own proposed biennial budget for 2012-2013.

Dayton remained true to campaign trail promises to up taxes for Minnesotans in the wealthiest tax bracket, with a new 10.95 percent income tax tier for joint files earning more than $150,000 or heads of households making more than $130,000.

State Rep. Keith Downey (R-Edina) called Dayton's proposed biennial budget "disappointing" and said it's "not even a credible starting point."

"There's zero reform in the bill and there's nothing really imaginative," Downey said. "It's like we're starting totally from scratch in the Legislature, which is fine. We'll put together a budget that has significant reforms and program redesign to provide better service at a lower cost."

"We'll find a way to do it without having to make Minnesota the highest taxed state in the country," he said.

Downey said everyone expected to see taxes increased in the proposed budget, but said in speaking with DFLers in the Legislature he had the impression Dayton was pursuing a more balanced approach.

"They were saying to expect maybe one-third in tax increases, one-third in cuts and one-third in shifts," Downey said. "What we got was more like 75 percent in tax increases, 20 percent in shifts and 5 percent through cuts. It's not even close to a compromise."

One of the few pieces of common ground Downey could find in the proposed budget is the K-12 Education Shift, in addition to the removal of some middle-level management positions in the state workforce.

"There's some common ground, but I don't think he goes far enough," he said. "There's just nothing in there to pull us out of the position we're in over the long term."

Rep. Keith Downey (R-Edina):

• Co-authored a bill allowing a jobs credit for increasing employment. HF0446, introduced Feb. 10.

• Co-authored a bill making the crime of criminal abuse of a vulnerable adult a registrable offense under the predatory offender registration law, changing terminology and increasing the criminal penalty for assaulting a vulnerable adult. HF0447, introduced Feb. 10.

• Co-authored a bill requiring conveyance of certain surplus state land in the Schmidt Wildlife Management Area. HF0461, introduced Feb. 10.

• Co-authored a bill altering the teacher collective bargaining agreement deadline and penalty. HF0463, introduced Feb. 10.

• Co-authored a bill altering the teacher collective bargaining agreement deadline and process. HF0464, introduced Feb. 10.

• Co-authored a bill providing for a more cost effective K-12 special education third-party billing process. HF0470, introduced Feb. 10.

• Authored a bill clarifying license requirements for sale of funeral goods. HF0482, introduced Feb. 14.

• Co-authored a bill removing unneeded mandates on public schools. HF0511, introduced Feb. 14.

• Co-authored a bill modifying prevailing wage provisions. HF0513, introduced Feb. 14.

• Co-authored a bill modifying the process for third-party reimbursement of qualifying services. HF0535, introduced Feb. 17.

• Authored a bill requiring state budget documents to include federal insolvency contingency planning. HF0545, introduced Feb. 17.

• Co-authored a bill amending provisions for juvenile prostitutes found in need of protection or services, defining sexually exploited youth, increasing penalty assessments imposed in certain prostitution crimes and amending distribution of the assessment and clarifying and recodifying certain provisions and modifying certain definitions in the prostitution laws. HF0556, introduced Feb. 17.

• Authored a bill requiring the Department of Education to hire a consultant to work with districts to share services, creating a competition among school districts and creating an incentive for districts to share services. HF0557, introduced Feb. 17.

• Authored a bill removing the mathematics Graduation-Required Assessment for Diploma exception. HF0558, introduced Feb. 17.

• Authored a bill establishing a MinnesotaCare voucher demonstration project. HF0559, introduced Feb. 17.

• Authored a bill modifying provisions governing energy forward pricing mechanisms for government agencies. HF0560, introduced Feb. 17.

Rep. Pat Mazorol (R-Bloomington):

• Did not author any new legislation this week.

Sen. Geoff Michel (R-Edina): 

• Co-authored a bill creating the MNovate commission to provide leadership for the creation of new and innovative models of public schools and schooling establishment. SF0325, introduced Feb. 14.

• Authored a bill creating an early childhood education scholarship finance system, providing tax credits for training and retaining early education workers and improving quality early childhood education programming. SF0331, introduced Feb. 14.

• Co-authored a bill modifying charter school authorizer restrictions. SF0334, introduced Feb. 14.

• Authored a bill creating the Sunset Advisory Commission, providing for sunset and review of state agencies. SF0359, introduced Feb. 17.