House majority leader visits New Ulm

Calls session

a success

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Minnesota House Majority Leader Erik Paulsen, R-Eden Prairie, won't have to stay up until 4 a.m. negotiating with the legislature on consecutive nights in the foreseeable future.

Paulsen spent Memorial Day weekend negotiating in St. Paul. He stopped at the New Ulm Municipal Airport Friday morning while flying to five Southern Minnesota cities to discuss the conclusion of the legislative session.

Joining him at the airport was Rep. Brad Finstad, R-New Ulm, his wife Jackie and their newborn child in tow. When the session ended Thursday night, Finstad literally ran out of the House chamber.

The end of one the most contentious, hard fought sessions in recent history means Finstad will have more time at home with his family.

"It was like the last day of school when students jump for joy and run home from school," Finstad said. "I ran because I wanted to get home."

Among the last-minute capital bickering were Iron Range politicos upset with a taconite tax and Local Government Assistance cuts.

"It's hard for me to understand their crying," Finstad said. "I told them about my house in New Ulm and they said my taxes would be about $290 per year up there, instead of three times that much here."

Paulsen called the legislative session historic in that it balanced the $4.5 billion state budget deficit without raising taxes.

"Some folks didn't think we had to balance the budget," Paulsen said. "It was like a family balancing its budget. We sat down and evaluated what we had to have and what would be nice to have."

Successes according to Paulsen were protecting K-12 classroom and nursing home funding and repealing the Profile of Learning so teachers, parents and students could "breathe a sigh of relief."

The largest transportation bill since 1998 is designed to accelerate major project completion up to nine years into the future and should speed up work in U.S. Highway 14, Finstad said.

Paulsen said Finstad was part of a large freshman class who walked the halls of the capitol with the best of them.

Finstad-authored bills implemented county human services initiatives, established prescription drug assistance programs through the the board on aging and transferred appropriations, modified a purchasing alliance stop-loss fund relating to health plan companies and authorized school boards to use revenue other than state aid to recognize extracurricular activity volunteers.

Health and Human Services spending increases were reduced from 22 to 15 percent. Republicans called the cuts overdue to taxpayers. Democrats called it a retreat from generosity.

Basic elderly programs were lightly hit. An employee scholarship fund for health care employees was saved, Finstad said. Republicans maintained that even with $1 billion cut, Minnesota is still the best state in health care and social services.

The lowest spending increase for health and human services in decades raises spending 3 percent from July 1, 2003 to June 30, 2004 and cuts it 1 percent in fiscal year 2005.

"This puts us more in line with neighboring states," Paulsen said. "We didn't just slash budgets, we streamlined and made them more efficient."

Cuts include $86 million in child-care services; $104 million from General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC); repealed Medical Assistance and GAMC for undocumented non-citizens, except pregnant women; 15 percent of state funding for senior nutrition and volunteer program grants including home-delivered meals and Foster Grandparents; and denies more money for recipients who have additional children while on welfare.

The bill established the Prescription Drug Discount Program for low and moderate-income Minnesotans without coverage. It created a more competitive bidding situation, more like e-bay and reverse auctions, to help the state save money on supplies and equipment purchases.

The bonding bill includes $48.7 million for University of Minnesota projects, with $400,000 for a genomics research project partnership with the university and Mayo Clinic; and $7.5 million for rural business development infrastructure.

Finstad said he is working on creating tax-free zones in Brown County that could be used to bring to industries to the area. Projects being considered include a Firmenich Inc. flagship plant west of New Ulm and bringing a new industry to Madelia. Waste water infrastructure money is being sought for La Salle and Cobden, he added.

Next month, Gov. Tim Pawlenty will do his WCCO "Lunch with the Governor" radio show at German Park in New Ulm.