NEWS RELEASE -- January 15, 2003
State Representative Al Juhnke
281 State Office Building, St. Paul, MN 55155
651/296-6206
3951 Horizon Hills Circle, Willmar, MN 56201320/235-4442
JUHNKE: PAWLENTY CUTS TARGET RURAL AREAS
Gov. Tim Pawlenty unfairly targeted Rural Minnesota in his plan to cover the first phase of the state budget shortfall, Rep. Al Juhnke said after reviewing the proposal today.
"The single biggest cut was in ethanol supports - nearly $27 million and almost all of which comes to Greater Minnesota," Juhnke (DFL-Willmar) said. "There are cuts in feedlot enforcement and in clean- water projects. Our colleges and universities were singled out for even more cuts. But they don't seem to have looked very hard for cuts among state agencies or in things like the Metropolitan Council or long-term savings in St.Paul-based state agencies."
The plan released today is intended to solve the state's short-term budget problem - a $356 million deficit in the budget period that ends June 30, 2003. Most of the state's $4.5 billion deficit will occur in the 2004-05 budget period, which lawmakers will tackle after resolving the short-term problem.
The ethanol program cut is the largest single chop in the plan. Juhnke said that could cut the legs out from under an industry which has created more than 1,000 jobs, spurred $100 million of capital investment and boosted farm incomes across the state over the past decade.
"Ethanol is an economic development success story, and I don't understand why they would want to damage an industry which has been one of the bright spots in the rural economic picture," he said.
Juhnke also question plans by House Speaker Steve Sviggum to have the governor's plan rushed through the House of Representatives within five days.
"This situation requires action, but fast legislating is usually bad legislating," Juhnke said. "We should have learned that when we accidentally put a sales tax on bread and meat two years ago in a hastily drafted tax bill. And the people who will be affected by these cuts deserve a chance to look at them and give their thoughts to the Legislature."
