Paul Thissen: Innovation in Action

Middle Class Jobs, Not Constitutional Amendments, Priority in 2012

Duluth News Tribune, Januay 22, 2012

The 2012 legislative session begins this week. After last session, in which we had a government shutdown and focused on divisive constitutional amendments, it’s more important than ever we focus on the issues that matter most to Minnesotans. That’s why our top priority should be creating jobs and strengthening Minnesota’s middle class.

Last week, DFL legislators joined Gov. Mark Dayton in introducing a jobs plan to get Minnesota back to work. Our plan includes common-sense policies and proven initiatives designed to create jobs, support Minnesota’s small businesses, and keep Minnesota economically competitive into the future.

To help businesses grow and create jobs, we propose creating a New Jobs Tax Credit that would provide businesses $3,000 tax credits for every unemployed Minnesotan, veteran or recent graduate they hire in 2012 and $1,500 credits for each new hire through June 2013.

We also focus on ways to enhance Minnesota’s world-class, highly trained workforce. Our jobs plan would provide $2,000 opportunity grants to thousands of Minnesotans, providing a foundation for new, long-term careers in high-demand fields. In other states that offer similar grants, those who complete retraining have a significantly higher chance of getting rehired and also earning a higher wage.

The DFL jobs plan enhances proven initiatives that have helped attract new businesses to our state while helping existing Minnesota companies grow and expand. We propose putting an additional $10 million into the Minnesota Investment Fund, which has a long and successful track record. Last year, the fund helped SAGE Electrochromics, a high-tech glass manufacturer in Faribault, embark on a $100 million expansion that will create 160 jobs for a state investment of $500,000.

In addition to a relentless focus on jobs, DFL legislators will continue our fight to reverse the middle-class property tax increases that resulted from the Republican budget of last summer. The Republican’s elimination of the market-value homestead credit translated directly into residential and small business property tax increases across Minnesota, including substantial hikes of 7 percent or more in Duluth.

Our DFL focus on the middle class is not just election-year rhetoric. We fundamentally believe the single most-important way to revive our economy and set the stage for long-term prosperity is with a strong and vibrant middle class and with a state where middle-class families have basic economic security, realistic chances to get ahead, and enough money in their pockets to enjoy the great quality of life Minnesota has to offer.

That is why we are so disappointed the Republican majority has continued to pursue policies that squeeze the middle class in order to protect the very richest Minnesotans and special interests.

Leaders in both parties say jobs and the economy are the top priority. But actions speak louder than words. If the Republican majority is serious about jobs, I hope it will work with us on our common-sense jobs plan and on our effort to relieve the

middle-class squeeze it worsened through its policy decisions last year. I would hope Republicans set aside divisive constitutional amendments that have nothing to do with creating jobs. We have enough on our plate this session. Getting distracted by constitutional amendments is not a good use of our time while we are on the public dime.

Let’s put what is most important first this session — and work quickly to pass a jobs plan that will get Minnesota working again.

Rep. Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, represents Minnesota House District 63A and is the House Minority Leader. He wrote this exclusively for the News Tribune.