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Speaker of the House
Steve Sviggum

463 State Office Building, 100 Constitution Ave., St. Paul, MN 55155 (651) 296- 2273

For Immediate Release
January 4, 2001
SVIGGUM, PAWLENTY APPLAUD VENTURA'S STATE OF STATE ADDRESS

SAINT PAUL House Speaker Steve Sviggum (R-Kenyon) and House Republican Majority Leader Tim Pawlenty (R- Eagan) expressed great optimism for a productive legislative session after hearing Governor Jesse Ventura's State of the State Address on Thursday afternoon.

"We were very encouraged by Gov. Ventura's message of the need to lower taxes on Minnesota's working families and limiting state spending increases," said Sviggum. "It is encouraging that the governor wants to join House Republicans in continuing to reduce taxes."

Pawlenty added that parts of the agenda laid out by the governor would be warmly received by House Republicans. "The governor's calls for tax reductions and holding down spending growth are general goals that will be embraced by House Republicans."

In his speech, Ventura said he is hearing the same message that House Republicans have been hearing for years: that the state's tax burden is too great and unfair.

"We have worked hard over the past two years to reduce the tax burden on Minnesotans," said Pawlenty. "We have enacted the largest permanent tax reduction in state history and led the nation in tax cuts for the past two years, but there is more work to be done and we are glad to hear the governor signal a willingness to further reduce taxes."

Sviggum noted that the reforms called for by Ventura are designed not to cause new state spending. "The governor's reforms and proposals reflect a belief that state taxpayers should expect to get the most for their dollar and that increased results can be achieved without increased spending," Sviggum said. "That is a welcome signal from the governor's office as we begin to make spending decisions for the next two years."

The most controversial proposal in the governor's speech, and the most likely to face opposition, is his plan to expand the state sales tax to services. "We welcome the governor's call to reduce the sales tax rate as another tax reduction option," said Pawlenty. "But we are opposed to expanding the tax to new areas in a time of continuing tax surpluses."