Miller to Seek Re-Election to Minnesota State Senate

For Immediate Release

Date: April 25, 2012

Senator Jeremy Miller, small business owner and entrepreneur from Winona, announced that he plans to seek re-election for the Minnesota State Senate.

When asked about his first term in the Senate Miller said, “When I was first sworn in as a senator, the State of Minnesota was facing a $6 billion budget deficit and an unemployment rate of over 7 percent. Today the state has a budget surplus of $1.3 billion and an unemployment rate of 5.8 percent.” Miller added, “Even though there is no doubt that our state is in much better financial shape today than we were just one year ago, we still have work to do.”

Miller, who is the youngest member of the Minnesota Senate, certainly did not let his age hold him back from getting things done. Miller’s accomplishments during his first term in office include fixing the problematic changes to the Green Acres Program, which helps provide property tax relief to farmers.

Miller was also instrumental in passing legislation to allow Minnesota to enter into a new income tax reciprocity agreement with Wisconsin, moving forward on a veterans cemetery in Fillmore County, making dangerous synthetic drugs like “Plant Food” and “Bath Salts” illegal, and reducing the size of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Central Office and passing the savings on to local campuses.

When asked about Miller’s accomplishments, Senate Majority Leader Dave Senjem said, “Senator Miller has done a fantastic job in his first two years in the Senate. He has demonstrated great leadership and is an outstanding example of a true statesman.”

Senator Miller and his wife, Janel, campaigned hard during the 2010 election and when asked about his plans for his 2012 campaign Miller said, “Janel and I, along with our son Drew, are very much looking forward to door knocking, parades and other events throughout the district. My philosophy since the beginning has been to listen and work together with the people in southeastern Minnesota to get results and there is no better way to do this than going door to door and listening to thoughts and ideas from constituents.”

See it here.

First Congressional District Convention

Location TBD in Mankato

Date : Saturday, April 21st

State Convention

May18th and 19th

St. Cloud Civic Center (map)

More details will be forthcoming.

Simply find where you live, and find your location.

The caucus will be held on Feb. 7th 2012, starting at 7pm at all locations.

Please try to be there a little before hand, so we can get settled, say hello to neighbors, and get started.

Winona Republican Caucus

If you have any questions, you may call 507-429-3440, and we will try to answer them.

Thanks, and we will see you then.

Governor Dayton told Tom Hauser, in a televised debate, that he would not shut government down

over a tax increase.

See the ad here.

Watch here.

Enjoy.

Highlights of the week:
TAX INCIDENCE STUDY QUESTIONED
A biennial state Revenue Department study released last Wednesday and reported widely in the media contains a variety of pieces of information that are useful to policymakers. You may see the numbers used to support an argument that some don’t pay their share in taxes, but it is important to note that the federal tax burden is not included in the analysis. Some lawmakers think it should be. However, the report does show progressivity in Minnesota’s income tax system: taxpayers in the top 10 percent of households pay 54 percent of the total individual income taxes paid, while those in the bottom 10 percent actually have a negative burden due to refundable tax credits. The figures are based on 2008 tax receipts.
PHOTO ID MAKING PROGRESS
Two bills to improve the integrity of voting are making their way through Senate committees. After several hours of public input, they have been amended to allow more types of identification, permit vouching for individuals in care facilities, and allow voters in residential facilities or shelters for battered women to use a state-issued photo ID from a previous residence in conjunction with a certification of residence from their facility in order to register on election day. Both measures will continue to have public hearings.
BASIC SKILLS TESTS FOR TEACHERS IN TRAINING
The Minnesota Senate gave bipartisan, unanimous support to a bill that would require teachers to pass a basic skills examination in math, reading and writing prior to admission to a higher education teacher preparation program. Current law allows teacher candidates to take the basic skills test when ready to apply for a license and permits a teacher who failed the basic skills test to receive and even renew a temporary one-year teaching license up to two more times.
According to a 2010 Board of Teaching report on the basic skills exam, there was a 13 percent failure rate and Minnesota’s “pass” score for the basic skills test is one of the lowest in the nation. Additionally, the National Council on Teacher Quality released a report in 2010 called “Blueprint for Change in Minnesota.” It gave Minnesota a grade of “D” in “delivering well-prepared teachers” and advised the state to close licensure loopholes such as permitting persons who have not yet passed state licensing tests to teach in classrooms. Currently, about 100 teachers are working with extended licenses, having not passed the basic skills test. Eighty teachers have a second or third renewal according to the Board of Teaching.
COMMUNITY PARAMEDICS WILL HELP RURAL RESIDENTS
A bill to allow experienced paramedics to become certified by the Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board as “community paramedics” passed the Senate with unanimous bipartisan support. As community health workers, they could provide a new avenue for citizens to access health care, and prevent the inappropriate use of ambulance services and hospital emergency department resources. Under the proposal, certain EMS personnel could provide health services and advanced levels of care for prevention, emergency care, evaluation, triage, disease management and referrals. Such procedures would be covered by Medical Assistance.

Why the change? The analysts tell us that Congress’ extension of the Bush tax cuts played a major role, as the certainty that taxes were not going to increase created consumer confidence, and Minnesota saw increased collections in capital gains, as well as income and sales taxes, as a result of that confidence.

But while Minnesota’s revenues collections are seeing slow growth, state spending continues its rapid expansion. The experts say that without government reform, program spending will jump 29 percent from this budget cycle to the next. This ridiculous amount of growth is not only unreasonable, but it is unrealistic.

Minnesota’s unemployment rates are at or near historic highs. We continue to see families and businesses struggling, being forced to live within their means. The taxpayers would be laughed at if they asked state government for a raise, yet government just assumes the taxpayers should give it billions more each budget cycle.

A complete economic recovery in Minnesota is far from certain if we do not structurally fix state government spending this year. The economists tell us global events could have a major impact on future state revenue collections. It makes sense; if folks are forced to spend nearly $4 for a gallon of gasoline when they’re struggling to make ends meet as it is, they will not be spending more money in the marketplace. If trends like this continue, there is a very real chance our state’s economy could be even further depressed.

Last session, Minnesota spent $30.5 billion on government programs, and Minnesotans have told lawmakers to get a handle on outrageous government spending. Though we now have positive news on the revenue front, there is no reason to spend it just as fast as we collected it. It’s time for Minnesota to be prudent with its finances and keep spending at its current level.