ST. PAUL, Minn. – Tonight Gov. Mark Dayton delivered his eighth and final State of the State address to a joint convention of the Minnesota Legislature. Both of Duluth’s state representatives were present for the event in the House Chamber.
Rep. Jen Schultz (DFL – Duluth) released the following statement:
“Coming into office with a budget shortfall larger than $6 billion, we all have to be thankful that Gov. Dayton has turned this budget situation around. We owe it to Minnesotans to not put this legacy of fiscal responsibility in jeopardy and send us back to the ‘bad old days’ of perpetual deficits we experienced under the Pawlenty administration and the resulting blunt cuts to things we value, like education and health care.
“Even in his final year in office, Governor Dayton has been a champion for Minnesota families, working to solve major problems. I applaud the governor for advocating strongly for the MinnesotaCare Buy-In, providing needed competition in the individual health insurance market, and giving Minnesotans a needed option for quality, affordable coverage.”
Rep. Liz Olson (DFL – Duluth) released the following statement:
“I appreciated the Governor’s hopeful vision for continuing the excellent progress that we’ve seen during his eight years in office. Our students, our families, and our economy are all in a better place due to Mark Dayton’s leadership as governor, bringing people together to achieve bold accomplishments for Minnesotans.
“To be sure, we face some challenges, and we’ve already seen the governor’s commitment to address them, namely with his comprehensive plan to address the opioid epidemic, and his proposed improvements to elder care, which I’m honored to carry in the House. I look forward to working with him to deliver results for Minnesotans during his final year in office.”