ST. PAUL – Governor Mark Dayton delivered his State of the State address to Minnesota Legislators this evening on the campus of the University of Minnesota. Governor Dayton emphasized the strong fiscal health of Minnesota’s budget and reiterated his desire to see the $900 million budget surplus used for strong investments in Minnesota’s roads, bridges, and broadband internet infrastructure to continue economic growth, and investments in students from pre-kindergarten to college.
“I support Governor Dayton’s commitment to Minnesota families and the economy of rural communities. He has laid out a strong plan tonight to use our surplus in smart ways that will help families in our region,” said Rep. John Persell (DFL – Bemidji). “Economic good times aren’t reaching all the folks in our area, and his plan to cut taxes for real people instead of corporations will be good for family pocket books and main street businesses. I also think his plan to use bonding dollars for clean water infrastructure in rural communities is crucial, as well as the Governor’s continued commitment to improvements in early learning, higher education, and transportation to make our roads safer to get our children and grandchildren to their schools. The Governor has called on us to act, and it would be a failure of leadership if we didn’t take this opportunity to improve the future of all Minnesotans by investing a significant portion of the surplus in our students and the future of our communities.”