Paul Thissen: Innovation in Action

End of Special Session Constituent Update

Dear friends,

The longest shutdown in state history is over. Thank goodness.

That said, I am deeply disappointed by, and concerned about, the final Republican budget that was adopted. At the end of the day, the Republicans agreed to spend $1.5 billion more than they claimed they needed for the six months leading up to the government shutdown. But the Republican plan that Governor Dayton accepted to end the shutdown offers nothing but a beg, borrow, and steal approach that mortgages the future of our state. I voted “No.” You can watch my floor speech in opposition here.

The final Republican budget solved 40 percent of the $5 billion state budget deficit by making a little over $2 billion in difficult cuts — and everyone understood we needed to make significant cuts. The remaining 60 percent of the solution was a non-solution. First, the Republican budget steals over $2 billion from our schools with no plan in place to pay it back. Using our schools as a piggy bank forces school districts like Minneapolis and Richfield to engage in short term borrowing themselves, which takes needed funds away from Minnesota classrooms.

In addition and deeply concerning, the Republican budget includes Washington D.C.-style deficit spending for the first time in the history of Minnesota. The Republican plan authorizes the state to issue $700 million in bonds to pay for current spending. It is like using a credit card to cover day-to-day expenses with no plan and no resources to pay the credit card off. Minnesota has never borrowed against future revenue to fund current operations. And it will cost us in the form of hundreds of millions of unnecessary interest charges that our state will be paying for years to come.

In short, the legislative session started with a $5 billion deficit and the Republican budget leaves us with at least a $4 billion deficit two years from now.

Of course, it is unfair to me to simply complain. The fact is that the legislature had a choice. We could have adopted a permanent, fair and balanced solution supported by the majority of Minnesotans in every poll that asked the question. I supported a plan that included significant cuts but also asked everyone in the state to participate in balancing the budget. Instead of borrowing an additional billion and half dollars as the Republicans did, we could have asked people making over a million dollars a year to pay the same amount in state and local taxes as hard working middle class Minnesotans. We could have asked big corporations who hide profits overseas to play by the same tax rules as Main Street small businesses. Such a tax fairness agenda would have allowed us to avoid the Republican’s borrowing scheme and actually started solving our long term deficit problems.

Needless to say, I am deeply disappointed by the budget solution.

In addition, this was supposed to be the “jobs, jobs, jobs” session. All too many are struggling these days. 200,000 are still without jobs, and many of those lucky enough to have one are facing pay cuts, and are still struggling just to make ends meet. Unfortunately, the Republican-led legislature did next to nothing to support good-paying jobs for middle-class Minnesotans. They chose instead to attack job protections, and the budgets they proposed would have caused tens of thousands of layoffs – including many in the health care industry, one of the only parts of the Minnesota economy that is growing right now. The one bright light is a bonding bill that Governor Dayton insisted upon which will put several thousands of Minnesotans to work restoring our state’s infrastructure.

Finally, I am deeply concerned with the relentless focus we saw in the legislature this year on imposing conservative social policy on the people of Minnesota from criminalizing stem cell research to bringing school vouchers to our state. The Republican majority ended the regular session by spending the last evenings not balancing the budget but instead passing a constitutional amendment to limit who can get married. The Republicans forced the state into shutdown by demanding that the Governor agree to a page and a half of severe social policy as a condition to passing a budget. My hope for the 2012 session is that the focus will turn from social policy that divides us to a government reform agenda that will unite us.

At the end of the day, the results of this session do not reflect Minnesota values. I will continue to work hard to put our kids, our schools, our seniors and middle class families first.

As always, I welcome your comments, questions, concerns and feedback. You can reach me by phone at 651-296-5375, by email at rep.paul.thissen@house.mn, or you can visit or send mail to my office, 267 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155.

Paul Thissen
State Representative
Minority Leader
District 63A

Session Summary 2010

Thank you for the privilege of serving you in the State House of Representatives.  The last two years  have been challenging for Minnesota. My top priority has been to make sure our state government is working as a partner with you to jump start private sector job creation, to shield vulnerable families who have lost jobs, health care and homes from the worst ravages of the economy and to put in place reforms and protections to avoid similar catastrophes in the future.

Of course, budget deficits dominated discussions at the Capitol.  Faced with a $6.4 billion deficit in 2009 and a subsequent $3 billion deficit in 2010, I worked to equitably balance the budget, implement reforms, control spending, and bring much-needed revenue into Minnesota.   Cuts were made to most areas of the budget, including deep reductions in health and human services and higher education.  I argued for fairer state taxes on wealthier Minnesotans rather than increased property taxes to fund the most basic of services: police and fire, roads and bridges, and K-12 education.   I also did not just talk about reforming government; I authored and passed several laws that will change the way we do business as a state.

The next legislative session will be even more challenging.  It is clear that our current path — eight years of ideological politics, slashed programs and higher property taxes, and an unwillingness to fundamentally change how we do the business of government — is unsustainable.  I look forward to continuing to work in partnership with you to bring smart and practical new ideas forward – and actually implement them into law.

Thank you for your commitment to Minnesota and for contacting my office with your opinions, thoughts, and concerns.  I am proud to represent Richfield and south Minneapolis in the Minnesota House of Representatives and look forward to continuing to serve district 63A.  I hope to see many of you during the upcoming months.

Session Recap; Road Ahead

The challenges Minnesotans faced during the 2009 legislative session were enormous.  The final result was deeply disappointing.  In particular, Governor Pawlenty’s decision to cut health care for more than 30,000 of the poorest, most vulnerable Minnesotans – and to place in jeopardy hospitals across the state – is stunning and unacceptable.   If there was ever a single decision that makes it clear we need a new Governor, that reckless choice was it.

Setting aside all the spin, this is the stark reality:  The stalemate at the Capitol reflects a deep disagreement over our basic values and the direction of our state.  Are we better off to let every person fend for himself or do we owe each other an obligation to reach out in times of need?  Do community institutions matter enough to invest in or do we measure their value only in terms of what each of us gains from them as individuals?

If you agree with me that community does matter. . .   If you agree with me that Minnesota is great because of our belief that everyone have an opportunity to share in prosperity. . .   If you agree with me that our success should be measured not only against our tax ranking, but also by our commitment to social justice and quality of life . . .  please get involved in my campaign for Governor today.  CLICK HERE!

The truth is that together we can move Minnesota forward to a better future — and I worked hard this session to make that better future a reality.

More Kids Can See a Doctor: My several year effort to extend health coverage to Minnesota’s kids continued to meet success.  Despite warnings that it could not be done in a deficit year, we removed bureaucratic barriers to coverage for kids in families living on $3,000 a month or less.  The result is an additional 20,000 Minnesota kids receiving the health care they need to succeed.

Innovation in Government: I worked hard to pass two important initiatives to change the way our state does business.  The first demands more cooperation among our 87 counties to allow for greater efficiency and innovation.   The second initiative — Community Solutions Grants – encourages our non-profit partners to adopt an entrepreneurial approach to social challenges. The fund will reward those programs that can take small, innovative ideas statewide and that have a plan to become self-sustaining without the need for continued government support.

Planning for the Age Wave: With the huge baby boom generation beginning to retire, we must take action or the demands of an aging population for different types of housing, transportation and health care will overwhelm us.  My “Communities for a Lifetime” bill builds on legislation I passed in 2008 to assist municipalities throughout the state in helping their older residents stay active and engaged.

New Energy Solutions: Minnesota has made important progress to prepare for a new energy future, but with too little attention to thermal energy – the energy we use to heat our homes and offices.  This year, I passed legislation to make the production of thermal energy from renewable resources – solar, biomass and others – a priority for Minnesota.

Protecting Vulnerable Minnesotans: I am proud to have passed legislation that tightens Minnesota’s standards for guardians and conservators and reforms Minnesota’s largely unregulated system charged with safeguarding the lives and assets of citizens deemed unable to make their own decisions.  The law now clearly sets out a 15-point bill of rights for wards and protected persons.

If these are the same priorities you share — caring for the elderly, promoting the health of youth, taking our energy challenges head on, government  innovation — then you know why I’m running for Governor.

Join our effort today to put Minnesota’s values first.  Please visit www.paulthissen.com to learn more.

2008 Session Summary

The 2008 legislative session ended on Sunday, May 18, to the sound of fireworks for Minnesota’s 150th birthday. The timing was fitting. The work we completed over the past several months is in line with our state’s proud tradition of forward-thinking, practical policy-making that focuses on ideas rather than ideology.

I am most proud of my work as one of the chief architects of comprehensive health care reform; an effort the Star Tribune labeled the “prize” of the session. The legislation takes important steps to make high quality health care affordable to more Minnesotans. In addition, as a result of our work over the last two years, 100,000 more Minnesotans have health coverage.

The legislature also provided more money to our schools. Property taxes will be held down by expanding state aid to cities and counties and by expanding our program to provide direct relief to homeowners whose property taxes increased substantially. We set aside land for our first new state park in decades near Lake Vermillion. Read Full Entry…

2007 Session Summary

The 2007 legislative session has ended.  It was my first session as a member of the majority party, an
experience that was both exhilarating and humbling.  As always, there were successes and disappointments.

Following the strong electoral showing for DFL legislative candidates last fall, the expectations for the
2007 session were high.  The DFL House caucus pursued  a bold and broad legislative agenda that kept faith with promises made to voters. Our legislative program set forth  a vision of Minnesota’s future where students in every school district in the state get a fair shake and all-day kindergarten is a reality; where higher education remains affordable; where hardworking parents need not worry about whether they can afford to bring their sick child to a doctor; where commerce and commuters can move through our cities and across our state efficiently and safely.  It is a future where rising property taxes will not drive our seniors from their homes.  Of course, not everyone shares that vision and we did not complete the agenda.

Yet I am extremely proud of the work we did.  At its best, the State Capitol is a venue where people
from all parts of the state and all backgrounds gather to debate how we can best ensure a future both
prosperous and fair for all Minnesotans.   That debate happened in earnest this spring and made crystal clear the decisions that lie before us.  It is the real story of the 2007 session. It is a conversation that I cannot wait to continue to have with all of you. Read Full Entry…