Newly Empowered GOP To Focus On Businesses
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Early bills in the 2011 Minnesota Legislature will largely be aimed at breaking down what Republicans believe are obstacles to business expansion and job growth, newly empowered GOP legislative leaders said Wednesday.
The top four House and Senate Republicans offered a broad-strokes preview of their plans for the five-month session that begins next week. They conveyed their goals, which include speeding up the process for new businesses to get regulatory permits, but shied away from specific proposals for achieving them.
Republicans will control both chambers for the first time in four decades when lawmakers reconvene, but they'll have to work with a Democratic governor. It's a complete flip from the current alignment where Democrats run the Legislature and a Republican is Minnesota's governor.
House Speaker-designate Kurt Zellers said he and fellow Republicans will base their success on a basic principle: making Minnesota more competitive for business.
The incoming deputy Senate majority leader, Sen. Geoff Michel, said a priority will be revising environmental and other permitting rules for new or expanding businesses to shorten their wait.
"We're not always going to tell them yes, but let's tell them soon, let's be clear about it," Michel said.
But the tallest order for the next Legislature will be balancing a state budget running a projected $6.2 billion shortfall. Republicans argue that the deficit projection is misleading because Minnesota is due to take in $1.5 billion more in the next two years than it did in the last two.
They hope to cap state spending at roughly $32 billion. But doing so would require them to substantially scale back prior spending commitments across state government.
The GOP lawmakers said they wouldn't resort to tax increases, although incoming Gov. Mark Dayton plans to propose a new top income tax bracket.
Democratic Rep. Paul Thissen, who will be House minority leader, doubted that Republicans would be able to abide by their campaign promises not to raise taxes.
"If they can pass an all-cuts budget, it's going to inflict a lot of pain on middle-class Minnesotans," he said.
Thissen said he'll be on guard during the legislative session for budget actions that would push up costs in other ways, such as locally enacted property taxes, license fees and school athletics charges.
(© Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
WCCO-TV's Liz Collin Reports
