Roseville Legislator Frustrated by Impasse

If you are frustrated with the state government shutdown, you’re not alone.

House District 54B Rep. Bev Scalze said she feels there is “absolutely nothing” she can directly do to break the budget impasse. Scalze noted she isn’t in the legislative leadership that has been in continuing discussions to try and break the stalemate.      

“All I can do is to urge people to try and compromise because those (leadership meetings) are closed door,” said Scalze, a DFLer whose district includes part of Roseville.

Meanwhile, Scalze said that most constituents she has heard from are urging the legislator to hold firm for the budget proposal put out by Gov. Mark Dayton.

Ask whether she is concerned about the state government shutdown damaging the reputation and image of the state Legislature, Scalze said, “It does concern me.” But ultimately, voters will decide in 2012 what they want to do, she said.

Scalze said this Legislative session seemed destined to be put on a collision course when a majority voters backed gubnatorial candidates (Dayton and Independent Tom Horner) who favored spending cuts and some tax increases to address the state budget shortfall while they also voted in a Republican legislative majority that ran on a theme of “no new taxes.”

Scalze said the Republicans position of not increasing the state budget beyond $34 billion for the biennium is unrealistic considering the state will be incurring higher health insurance costs for state employees and there will be several thousand more students in the K-12 system this time around.