Sviggum assesses legislative session

Tough choices

were made

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- In resolving the $2.4 million budget deficit stand-off in the waning days of the 2002 State Legislative session, House Speaker Steve Sviggum said the Republicans' stand prevented taxes from being increased for working families in New Ulm and the rest of Minnesota.

Speaking at a news conference Wednesday, Sviggum said the parameters the House Republicans laid out for dealing with the deficit were three-fold.

"We would solve this budget deficit without raising the tax burden on any working family. We would solve it without reducing our commitments to our local schools and our local nursing homes, and we would solve it without reducing our commitment to local government aid for our local cities and counties," Sviggum said.

The Kenyon Republican's visit to New Ulm was part of a during a three-day, 17-cities swing to review the legislative session's "achievements or lack of achievements and to talk to and listen to the people directly."

State Sen. Dennis Frederickson, R-New Ulm, State Rep. Howard Swenson, R-Nicollet and Brad Finstad of New Ulm, announced GOP candidate for the House seat being vacated by State Rep. James Clark, R-New Ulm, sat in on the news conference.

"Obviously, there were some tough choices that we did have to make," Sviggum said. "We cut state government significantly, reducing the number and amount of appropriations to our state departments and agencies, including the Legislature, between 10 and 15 percent."

However, he felt that "if you go out and talk to average people here in New Ulm, they would say protect our schools, don't raise my taxes, make sure that grandma in the nursing home is taken care of, but cut state government. That's exactly what we did."

Sviggum said the session became somewhat controversial and "very, very emotional" toward the end. One such piece of legislation was a homeland security bill.

"The bottom line of the bill we passed is that it will provide that our law enforcement personnel, our fire fighters, our emergency medical care personnel will now have or, hopefully, begin to have proper training and equipment to be able to respond to a chemical-biological terroristic threat in this state; should it ever happen."

He also pointed to passage of an omnibus bonding bill as a significant achievement.

"The bonding bill was maybe a little higher in number than I would have chosen, but it was a bonding bill that I think was respective of the needs of Minnesotans and the quality of life that we have. Well over half the money is going to higher education facilities and/or the environment," Sviggum said.

Sviggum also was pleased with the compromise Twins stadium bill passed by the Legislature. The most important feature was "no taxpayer dollars will go to support a professional sports stadium," he said.

If there was any disappointment concerning what happened during the session, Sviggum said, it was probably the loss of a transportation funding bill.

"I strongly supported, as did Representative Swenson, a transportation funding bill that would have been aimed at roads and bridges and "smart" transit."

However, Sviggum said the funding bill would have meant added dollars for projects. Projects can continue but with fewer dollars, he said.