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State Representative
Rich Stanek

543 State Office Building, 100 Constitution Ave., St. Paul, MN 55155 (651) 296- 5502

For Immediate ReleaseFor more information contact:
April 18, 2001Jon Peterson (651-296-5989)
NEWS RELEASE
REP. STANEK APPROVES LARGER EDUCATION BUDGET

(ST. PAUL) Under budget targets approved by the Minnesota House of Representatives, K-12 education receives nearly a three-fold increase in discretionary funding over the budget proposed by Governor Jesse Ventura. State Rep. Rich Stanek (R-Maple Grove) gave his support for the proposal.

"The Governor's budget was a good first draft it holds spending down and provides for significant tax cuts," said Stanek. "But the message from Minnesotans over the last couple of months has been clear: the Governor's priorities need some adjusting in the areas of K-12 and higher education. I am happy that we are reshuffling the deck to better reflect the beliefs and priorities of the people of Minnesota."

Highlights of the House budget targets include:

 K-12 Education - $607 million in new spending for the biennium with $355 million in new discretionary spending. Governor Ventura recommended $122 million in new discretionary spending.

 Higher Education - $165 million in new discretionary spending. This is a 65 percent increase over the governor's recommendation.

 The same level of discretionary spending as the Governor's $714.5 million or a 5.3 percent increase over the last biennium.

 A $1.56 billion tax cut.

Rep. Stanek serves District 33B in the House of Representatives. He is the chair of the Judciary Finance Committee and also serves on the Crime Prevention Committee, the Civil Law Committee and the Ways and Means Committee.

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