Morgan Co-Authors Bill to Pay Back School 'Shift'

Editor's note: The following is a letter from State House Representative Will Morgan, (District 56B, Lakeville-Burnsville).

Dear neighbors,

On Tuesday, Jan. 8, I took the oath of office to serve as your state representative for the third time. It is an honor to work for our common interests at the Capitol, and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to try to move Minnesota forward.

Minnesotans have made it clear that they wanted to see expanded economic opportunities for our families and businesses. They wanted a balanced budget without tricks and gimmicks. We enter the session with a $1 billion deficit, and we owe our schools another $1 billion. Legislators must tackle this structural problem and stop kicking the can down the road.

Minnesotans want us to have a world-class education system that will grow our state’s economy. They want us to put an end to years of borrowing billions from our schools and making massive cuts to higher education. We need to work together to pay back our schools and make education at all levels a priority at the Legislature once again. 

To that end, I am a co-author of House File No. 1, a measure that would pay back what was borrowed from our schools in the previous budget so that we can fairly balance our budget and make sure money that was going to pay off loans is staying in the classroom.

I’m interested in solutions that take the best ideas from all sides. I am willing to listen to all suggestions. Good ideas have no party affiliation.

I, along with my colleagues Rep. Sandra Masin and Sen. Jim Carlson, will be holding a town hall meeting at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 26, 2013, at Burnsville City Hall (100 Civic Center Parkway, Burnsville, MN 55337). House Chief Fiscal Analyst Bill Marx will be giving a short presentation on the state budget before the floor is opened up for questions and discussion.

Please feel free to contact me with your questions, suggestions and concerns. My office is room 401 in the State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-5387 and by email at rep.will.morgan@house.mn. You can also monitor activities at the House, track bills, watch live video and sign up for my email update list by going to http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/members.asp?id=15268.

Will Morgan, D-Burnsville