My Point of View by Brian Hensley

The 2017 legislative session is just around the corner. There will be many factors at play this year.

The first, and probably the largest change in 2017, will be Republican control of both the House and the Senate. Republicans picked up several seats in the Senate and now have a 34-33 majority. Every committee has new leadership, new priorities and a new culture. There are 21 new senators, and everyone has a new office. Everyone has new responsibilities and new or different control over the process. With such a thin majority, every vote counts, and a single Republican senator can switch sides on each issue and cause real headaches for leadership. This will be a challenge for Sen. Paul Gazelka as he tries to lead his body.

Secondly, the House will see many fewer changes but still has over 23 new members with Republicans increasing their seat majority to a 76-57 margin. The biggest winner from the 2016 Minnesota election was probably Rep. Kurt Daudt, the House Speaker. As he negotiates budgets and bills with the Senate and the governor’s office this upcoming year, he won’t be the sole Republican in the room. 

The past few years have seen failed negotiations between the Legislature and governor on many topics. Often it appeared that Republican Speaker Daudt and former DFL Majority Leader Tom Bakk would come to an agreement when the governor refused to participate in discussions. As the agreement was occurring, the governor would enter negotiations and talks would fail. Chaos would ensue as last-minute bills tried to gain traction and failed. That resulted in lack of progress for Greater Minnesota. No bonding bill. No tax bill. No transportation bill.

Nothing made this more clear than the failed attempt to call for a special session. Remember the governor can call a special session at any time to address an issue. He doesn’t need an agreement prior to calling the special session. As this issue played out the past two weeks, I kept wondering why would the people want the senators and representatives who had just lost elections voting on these issues. It seems to be the right thing to wait till the new members are sworn in Jan. 3 and the regular session begins.

The third factor that will add intrigue for those political watchers is the upcoming governor’s election in 2018. Candidates are numerous with several serious contenders serving in the Legislature. Names getting mentioned on the DFL side include state Senator Erin Murphy and St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, who have already declared they are running. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, State Auditor Otto, Lt. Governor Smith, Attorney General Swanson, Rep. Paul Thissen, and U.S. Rep. Tim Walz all have made comments or seem poised to announce they will run as we enter 2017. 

On the Republican side, no candidate has officially declared their candidacy, but several potential candidates seem to be positioning themselves for a run. With Speaker Daudt being considered a front-runner, he surely will be trying to strike deals in the Legislature and with the governor that move forward a tax bill, transportation bill and bonding bills.  Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson, businessman Mike McFadden and Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek have all given indications they are in for a run as well.

There are several key issues that have a direct impact on Freeborn County that Rep. Bennett and Sen. Sparks hopefully will push forward. Transportation. Taxes. Improving our education system.

My point of view is that a long-term transportation solution needs to be found. Monies collected from taxpayers in the form of the gas tax should be used to support our roads, highways and bridges. I love trains. I love riding the trains when in Minneapolis, and wish I understood them better and felt more comfortable using them. However, I want the interstates, state highways and bridges to be safe. Diverting money from the gas tax, registration fees and tire taxes to trains hurts Greater Minnesota and is not acceptable.

Secondly, when the state collects more in taxes than it expected, the over collection of taxes should be returned to those who paid it. The state of Minnesota has a rainy-day fund with over $2.1 billion and a $678 million yearly surplus, expected to grow to $1.4 billion in the next biennium. That is your money.  It belongs in your pocket, not new pet projects that senators, representatives and governors dream up. Property tax relief, aid to local governments, elimination of the Social Security tax and estate taxes, and lowering of the tax rates are all ways that state can take less of your money.

Finally, continuing to improve and invest in education for our area students and future workers is vital. College and training shouldn’t be free, but we must continue to find ways to improve offerings for students and workers that don’t want or don’t need a traditional four-year degree. There are many opportunities locally for great, solid and local jobs that require additional training for future workers, or retraining for those who see their skills falling behind. With creativity, the state of Minnesota can be a national leader and provide a well-trained workforce to meet the needs of the next 30 years.

Members of the Legislature and the governor work for you.  I urge you to reach out to Sen. Sparks and Rep. Bennett to share your thoughts on these issues. They do prefer to hear from local constituents and understand how these issues affect Freeborn County voters.

Quick reminder: The Freeborn County Republican Convention is set for Feb. 4 at the American Legion, with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. New county party leadership will be elected as well as guest speakers will be presented. Delegates and alternates from the 2016 caucus will be seated and vote on new leadership. All Republicans are welcome, and we hope you will take this opportunity to become involved.

Brian Hensley is chairman of the Freeborn County Republican Party and local financial adviser with Intego Financial Group. Brian also serves on the city of Albert Lea Parks and Recreation Board. All opinions are his and do not necessarily reflect those of the organizations he is associated with.