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Neighbor-
The bonding bill passed the House on Monday and we anticipate receiving a veto message from Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
The governor is not opposed to a bonding bill; he just recommends one that is about 30 percent less than what the Legislature is sending tohis desk. He sent a letter to legislators Monday afternoon, indicating that he will veto the $1.2 billion version as it exists.
The current version is just more than we can afford and it strays fromour priorities. It is loaded up with way too many frivolous local pet projects like a sculpture garden, volleyball courts, gorilla cages, hockey rinks, snowboarding facilities, performing arts centers and more.
I anticipate we will get back to the table soon to work out a streamlined bill worthy of bipartisan support that we can afford because there are essential projects that warrant funding. Some of them protect our citizens from floods in the Red River valley, while others are needed to support key infrastructure projects like roads or bridges.
The lack of willingness to accept input from the minority on this bill has been blatant. They were not included in discussions during \conference committee work and the way legislators have been gagged on the House floor is flat-out unbecoming of the Legislature, if not unprecedented. Here’s a video clip that shows House minority leaders
attempting to speak, only to be ignored and then rudely gaveled down by Speaker Kelliher: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2dvBIFZd9E
I hope to vote for a reasonably sized bonding bill that focuses on important projects like the trash incinerator at Pope-Douglas Solid Waste in Alexandria before the end of this session. This regional project not only handles the garbage from seven western and central MN counties (Douglas, Pope, Grant, Stevens, Sterns, Benton and Sherburn),
but also will provide steam heat/energy to two key businesses and AlexTech. It also will make electricity with any unused steam. This project is a model our state can build on.
However, sensible projects like this cannot be burdened with the plethora of “garbage” projects that the majority party is trying to ring up on the state’s credit card. Most citizens expect fiscal leadership in St. Paul as we face a $1.2 billion budget deficit, yet one of the first things the House did this session is to pass a bill that puts us another $1.2 billion in debt.
You can hear an audio clip of me speaking to this issue by logging on to www.house.mn/11A. Click on Audio Commentary in the lower-right corner. Then, hit “listen” under the segment posted 2/23/2010.
Sincerely,
Torrey
Torrey Westrom
State Representative
Lead Republican - Energy
Committee. Committees on Finance,
Rules, and Public Safety/Civil Law Policy.
District 11A
Room 273 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155-1298
Office 651-296-4929 Fax 651-296-4307
TOLL FREE # 1-800-711-2620
sign up for email updates at www.torreywestrom.com
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