ST. PAUL – House Republicans eliminated free health care for illegal immigrants, made the largest spending cut in state history and rejected tax increases on Minnesota families during a special session Monday.
The special session was necessary after the legislature’s May 19 deadline to adjourn passed with less than half of the state’s next two-year budget approved. Rep. Bernie Perryman, R-St. Cloud, said the House was set back from the start when House Democrats stayed home the first 23 days of this year’s regular session.
After two years of Democrats in full control of the Capitol, Perryman said the new budget shows House Republicans restored balance in St. Paul by gaining a share of power in an evenly split body. She said that was especially important after Democrats spent the $18 billion surplus, increased state spending by nearly 40 percent and raised taxes by $10 billion in the last biennium.
“The path we were on was simply unsustainable with the reckless spending and unnecessary tax increases passed under one-party control the last two years,” Perryman said. “Republicans gained equal power in the House last November and worked hard to restore balance at the Capitol. We did so by delivering the largest reduction to government spending in state history with $2 billion in budget cuts. In all, there is $5 billion less spending than the previous budget. “
Perryman indicated all proposals to further raise taxes on Minnesota families this year were defeated. Most notably, she said House Republicans prevented the creation of a fifth-tier income tax bracket ($8 billion), blocked the governor’s sales tax increase ($400 million), and stopped the expansion of sales taxes to professional services ($334 million).
Taxpayer-funded health care for illegal immigrants is another issue Perryman said House Republicans worked to address. Enrollment and projected costs have quadrupled since the expansion of MinnesotaCare to include people here illegally took effect just five months ago, causing sustainability concerns. The House on Monday approved a bill making adult illegal immigrants ineligible for the program, starting Jan. 1.
“There’s still more to do to get our state back on track after the reckless spending, tax hikes, and extreme policies of the last two years, but one thing is clear: House Republicans have brought some much-needed balance back to the Capitol,” Perryman said. “We’ve not only stopped their activist-driven agenda, but we’ve actually started making real progress by cutting state spending and standing up for Minnesota taxpayers.”
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