NEWS RELEASE

St. Paul, MN -- Building on the bipartisan recommendations of the Minnesota Leadership Summit, Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller and Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson Kelliher today (Friday, Oct. 9) announced the appointment of 10 lawmakers to the newly formed Subcommittee on a Balanced Budget.

The subcommittee will hold its first hearing on Monday, Oct. 19 at 1 p.m. in Room G-15 of the State Capitol.

The Subcommittee on a Balanced Budget will be a subcommittee of the Legislative Commission on Planning and Fiscal Policy and will be co-chaired by Sen. Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis, and Rep. Lyndon Carlson, DFL-Crystal, chair of the House Finance Committee.

Other members appointed today include:

·        Senate Minority Leader Sen. David Senjem, R-Rochester.
·        Senate President James Metzen, DFL-South St. Paul.
·        Sen. Don Betzold, DFL-Fridley, chair of the Senate’s State Government Budget Division.
·        Sen. Dick Cohen, DFL-St. Paul, chair of the Senate Finance Committee.
·        House Minority Leader Kurt Zellers, R-Maple Grove.
·        Rep. Thomas Huntley, DFL-Duluth, chair of the House Health Care and Human Services Finance Division.
·        Rep. Ann Lenczewski, DFL-Bloomington, chair of the House Tax Committee.
·        Rep. Loren Solberg, DFL-Grand Rapids, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee.

According to Sen. Pogemiller and Speaker Kelliher, the subcommittee is designed to craft recommendations which reflect the findings of the Minnesota Leadership Summit.  In September, the 12 former governors and legislative leaders that participated in the summit issued their recommendations for addressing the historic budget deficit Minnesota will face in the upcoming biennium, which could equal almost one-fifth of projected state spending.

The recommendations from summit participants included: combining spending cuts with revenue increases to preserve state priorities; creating and maintaining an appropriate budget reserve; and strictly matching spending to revenue in each biennial budget, without the use of spending shifts or accounting gimmicks.  Above all, the former leaders stressed the need for immediate action “to restore and sustain Minnesota’s competitiveness.”

“We need to have an open and forthright conversation about how we can both tackle the coming budget shortfall and position our state for long-term economic success,” said Senate Majority Leader Pogemiller.  “The former governors and legislative leaders that participated in the Minnesota Leadership Summit made it clear that we cannot wait to address these issues.  Given the gravity of the situation we face, we need to begin this important work as soon as possible.”

Subcommittee co-chairs Sen. Pogemiller and Rep. Carlson added that they are focused on engaging both Democrats and Republicans in these important budget discussions.

“The Subcommittee on a Balanced Budget will allow us to work across party lines to generate new ideas and find bipartisan solutions to the historic challenge in front of us,” said Rep. Carlson.  “Passing a responsible, balanced budget should not be a partisan issue.  It’s time to set aside past differences, roll up our sleeves, and get to work preparing Minnesota for a better tomorrow.”

Legislative leaders say they hope to use the ideas generated by the subcommittee during the 2010 Legislative Session.  The Legislature will reconvene February 4, 2010.

For more information, contact Sen. Pogemiller’s office at (651) 296-7809 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or Rep. Carlson’s (651) 296-4255 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .