January 27, 2003 -- NEWS RELEASE -- State Representative Al Juhnke
281 State Office Building, St. Paul, MN 55155
651/296-6206
3951 Horizon Hills Circle, Willmar, MN 56201
320/235-4442
JUHNKE: GOP BUDGET BILL WAS UNFAIR TO RURAL MINNESOTA
The Republican-designed budget-balancing bill passed by the Minnesota House of Representatives Monday was unfair and damaging to Rural Minnesota, Rep. Al Juhnke said as he voted against the package.
Juhnke and other House DFLers tried to offer the Senate DFL budget bill as an alternative, but majority Republicans used parliamentary and procedural votes to prevent debate on the DFL plan.
As a result, there was no discussion of possible alternatives to such items as the 20% cut in ethanol funding in the House GOP bill.
"When all other departments are asked to cut 4%, why do we cut rural initiatives at 20%-plus?" Juhnke asked, citing deep cuts to ethanol funding, the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute,
Minnesota Technology Inc. and rural health and clean-water programs.
The Senate DFL plan, passed last week, avoids cuts in all those areas, Juhnke noted. Both packages address the $356 million shortfall in the budget period ending June 30, 2003 - a "down payment" on the $4.5 billion shortfall for 2003, 2004 and 2005.
"Our most valuable export in Rural Minnesota is not corn or soybeans, it's our youth," Juhnke told lawmakers in floor debate. "The main reason given by our graduates (for leaving rural communities) is a lack of good-paying jobs in Rural Minnesota. Yet what are we doing in this bill?"
Because the Senate and House proposals are different, a conference committee with five members from each body will have to be appointed to negotiate a compromise plan.
"We could have had a budget-balancing plan on the Governor's desk by Monday night if the House had accepted the Senate plan," Juhnke said. "Now we're going to have a long, dragged-out process while the budget continues to bleed red ink."
Attn. Radio News Directors: To obtain recorded actualities, contact Catherine Thompson at
(651) 296-5499 in the House DFL Media radio office.
