| For Immediate Release |
| May 31, 2001 |
On the baseball diamond, teams are locked into competition for nine innings. But what happens after those nine innings when there is no score or the game is tied? The game goes into extra innings until someone wins.
The Minnesota Legislature has gone into extra innings this year. But the eventual winner will not be Democrats, Republicans, or the Governor. The winner will be Minnesota taxpayers.
The regular session or the Legislature ended in accordance with the state Constitution on May 21st. When the deadline passed, the House, Senate and Governor Ventura had yet to reach an agreement on taxes and spending.
Some would characterize this as a breakdown of the system or as legislators not working to get their jobs done. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
A century and a half ago, the Minnesota Legislature was created to represent the views and goals of our citizens and make tough, necessary decisions for the good of the state. Today, that involves taking the views and beliefs of nearly five million Minnesotans and making into one sound public policy. Two hundred and one representatives and senators make their way to St. Paul for five months each year to accomplish that end.
The major political parties entered this legislative session with goals and ideas that were very different. House Republicans wanted to accomplish landmark tax reform and keep a lid on state spending while focusing on the key priorities of education, nursing homes, roads and bridges. Senate Democrats, on the other hand, sought to significantly increase state spending and grow government to address our state's problems. The differences were most clearly demonstrated by the budget bills that passed each chamber: the DFL Senate passed $1.5 billion more in new, state spending than the Republican House. On the other hand, the House passed a $1.56 billion tax reform package hailed by the state's largest newspapers as "bold" and "landmark reform".
The differences could not be more real or better reflect the varying opinions held by Minnesotans on taxes and spending. This was not just some petty, partisan squabble - it was a substantive discussion on Minnesota's course for the future.
With the agreement struck last week by House Republicans, the Senate DFL, and Governor Ventura, reached an appropriate balance with new spending in key areas to address critical needs and a significant, far-reaching tax reform package. House Republicans could have compromised on our goals to reach an agreement and end the session on time. But we held firm for substantive reform in taxes, education funding, and other areas. The same could be said for Senate Democrats, holding to the principles in which they believe.
Although the final packages are not completely shaped and will be ironed out over the next week, one thing is clear: the property tax system will be dramatically reshaped, spending will be held to a prudent and responsible level, and critical investments and reforms will be made in the key priorities of education, nursing homes, roads and bridges.
Although neither the players nor the fans really enjoy it when a game goes into extra innings, sometimes it is needed to finish the game. When this game is over, the winner will be the citizens of Minnesota and they'll savor a victory that was worth waiting for.
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