Sen. Carla Nelson is sworn in for a second term in the Minnesota State Senate, with husband Terry Nelson by her side.

Sen. Carla Nelson was sworn in today, to represent Senate District 26 in the 88th session of the Minnesota State Senate.

Immediately, Sen. Nelson announced her priorities for the current session: “The 2013 legislative session’s focus is on the budget,” sen. Nelson said. “The current budget will end with $2.5 billion on the bottom line.  According to Minnesota law, the first billion of it is sent to refill the budget reserve and cash flow accounts. The remainder has been sent back to the schools to repay school shifts enacted by both DFL and GOP legislature of the past.”

Looking forward, $1 billion remains of the school shift.  Although revenue is projected to increase, so is spending under the current legislature.

“I will focus on sustainable budget solutions with an eye toward economic growth,” Sen. Nelson added. “Without growth, revenue winds up taking too big a bite out of the taxpayers’ wallets.”

	FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -  MEDIA CONTACT:  Neil Pursley, (651) 296- 4915
	Senator Carla Nelson District 26    Serving Olmsted County
	Office: 117 State Office Bldg., Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155

December 17, 2012

SEN. CARLA NELSON RECEIVES COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS FOR

THE UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE SESSION

Nelson to take a lead role on education issues in State Senate

(ST. PAUL) – State Sen. Carla Nelson (R-Rochester) announced her committee assignments for the 2013 legislative session. Nelson, who was elected to her second term in the Minnesota Senate in November, will serve as the top Republican member on the Education Committee. She will also serve on the Tax Committee, the Health, Human Services and Housing Committee, the Capital Investment Committee, and the Jobs, Agriculture and Rural Development Committee.

“I look forward to working on tax, agriculture and healthcare issues. I am particularly honored to serve as the Ranking Republican Member on the Senate Education Committee. Education must remain a priority in our state, and I am prepared to do the necessary hard work to help make our schools more effective and our students more successful.”

Sen. Nelson concluded, “The hard work of decreasing growth in government spending and increasing efficiency must remain the focus of the next legislative session. Technological advances can help us do so. I will continue to press for state policies that increase our ability to retain and attract new jobs in Minnesota and to make sure our students are well prepared to fill them.

Nelson was re-elected in November to the newly reconfigured Senate District 26, which includes the cities of Chatfield, Dover, Eyota, Rochester, Stewartville and 14 townships in Olmsted County. Nelson welcomes comments and questions and can be reached by telephone at (651)296-4848, by mail at 117 State Office Building, St. Paul, MN 55155, or via e-mail at email hidden; JavaScript is required.

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Surrounded by family and volunteers, Sen. Carla Nelson speaks at the Ramada Inn ballroom in Rochester after being declared the victor in the Senate District 26 race for the Minnesota State Senate.

Last night the voters of the new Senate District 26 resoundingly sent me back to the Minnesota Senate to represent them.

Our message of economic growth and a positive clean campaign combined with your hard work and support, brought victory at the ballot box.

I am honored and humbled by your support and voter confidence in my dedication to grow the economy and jobs for this senate district and the state of Minnesota.

Effective legislators must listen to all their constituents and then reach across the aisle to get things done. That is exactly what I have done and will continue to do as the Minnesota Senate sees a change in leadership.

To the voters in Rochester, Chatfield, Dover, Eyota, Stewartville and the townships of Dover, Elmira, Eyota, Farmington, Haverhill, High Forest, Marion, Orion, Pleasant Grove, Quincy, Rochester, Rock Dell, Salem and Viola – thank you!  Thank you for the faith you’ve put in me and for your tireless support.

I look forward to continuing to serve you.

Sen. Carla Nelson

Sen. Carla Nelson and her husband Terry Nelson celebrate at the Ramada Ballroom in Rochester upon hearing the news she won re-election to the Minnesota State Senate. Nelson defeated DFL challenger Ken Moen by a margin of 55.62% to 44.20%, a more than 4,500 vote difference in the count (22,268 to 17,695).

Sen. Carla Nelson and husband Terry Nelson arrive at their local polling station in Rochester (left). Sen. Nelson feeds her completed ballot into the ballot reader, having just voted (right).

Our form of government, a constitutional republic, is founded on democratic representation.

I have been humbled and honored to represent the people of Southeast Minnesota the last two years in the Minnesota Senate.

Today is the day you elect whom you want to represent you in 2013 and beyond.

If you choose me as your Senator for  another term in office, I make a solemn oath that I will continue to do my level best on your behalf. I will go forth with the understanding that I was elected to serve all the people, whether they voted for me, or not. When I vote on the budget, I will keep in the forefront of my mind that it is your money the Legislature is spending.  Jobs will be my top priority. This requires making Minnesota a more job friendly state through lower taxes and smarter regulation.  We must make sure our students are well prepared to succeed and fill these jobs. We must keep our agricultural industry thriving and competitive. And we must  keep the Rochester area the standard-bearer in medical advances and healthcare delivery.

Now I humbly ask for your vote today.

Your servant,
Carla Nelson

Senator Carla Nelson at the capitol in St. Paul

SEN. CARLA NELSON VOTED FOR PROPERTY TAX RELIEF

The State of Minnesota tried to provide property tax relief by paying local units of government something called the Homestead Market Value Credit, with the hope that the local units of government would then not need to raise as much through property taxes.

Minnesota individual homeowners never received a single dime from the Homestead Market Credit in its ten years of existence — every bit of that money went directly to county and municipal governments.

That is, when the State eventually got around to issuing the credit windfall to those local governments: In nine of the ten years of its existence, local governments never saw a dime, either.

Here are some facts about the Homestead Market Credit:

•  The Homestead Market Credit is a tiny fraction of the Rochester city and Olmsted County budgets. Ultimately, only local leaders (meaning: NOT the Governor nor the Minnesota State Legislature) can decide how much to spend and how much to levy taxes on local property owners.
• The Homestead Market Value Credit system was broken. In ten years of its existence, the program only fully reimbursed local governments one time. That is why eliminating the Homestead Market Value Credit was supported by the League of Minnesota Cities, the Association of Minnesota Counties, the Minnesota Inter-County Association, and the Association of Metro Municipalities.
• The funding for the Homestead Market Value Credit was so unreliable that many cities never even counted it in their budgets. Those that did were often left holding the bag for the state’s empty promises.
• The Homestead Market Value Credit, when paid, was property tax relief sent to local governments, not individual taxpayers.
• The 2011 Republican-controlled legislature  reformed the Homestead Market Value Credit, making it a Homestead Market Value Exclusion and paid the property tax relief directly to taxpayers, not to cities and counties.
• Here is what the League of Minnesota Cities said about the conversion to the new system: “…local governments will be better able to make budget and property tax decisions going forward and will be clearly accountable to their taxpayers for those decisions. Ultimately, that’s better for our cities and for local property taxpayers.”

100 percent of every dollar collected in property taxes stays in your local communities.

In contrast, only 66 cents of every dollar collected by the State of Minnesota ever come back to Olmsted County.

SEN. CARLA NELSON VOTED FOR VETERANS‘ BENEFITS INCREASES

“Freedom is a precious thing, preserved with the blood of Patriots.  We must hold it dear,” said Sen. Nelson. “I have the greatest admiration and thanks for the men and women who wear the uniform, and who are willing to put their very lives on the line to protect my freedoms. It is our duty to teach our youth about freedom and its cost.”

In her first term in the Minnesota State Senate, Sen. Nelson voted to increase veterans’ benefits and tax deductions in the budgets for FY 2013 through 2015. Sen. Nelson’s votes helped reinstate funding for the military pension tax deduction, the military pension credit for past service, and the credit for military service in a combat zone increase. “We must always honor our veterans and their service.  That is why I worked to maintain these benefits and deductions that aid our veterans in making ends meet, especially our disabled veterans,” Sen. Nelson said. “Many people think only the federal Department of Veterans Affairs helps our returning heroes, but our state government here in Minnesota is likewise grateful for their service and sacrifice, and we want to do everything in our power to assist them.”

SEN. CARLA NELSON’S VOTES ON THE BUDGET ERASED THE DEFICIT AND

GAVE MINNESOTA A  $1.2 BILLION BUDGET SURPLUS

Recently, articles and commentary have made spurious attempts to call into question the validity of the $1.2 billion surplus in our state budget for the current 2012-13 biennium.

Here are the facts:

Don’t just take our word for it. According to the Minnesota Management and Budget’s two most recent budget announcements for 2012-13, from November 2011 and February 2012.  Note that the surpluses described in the two announcements sum up to, when added together, $1.2 billion. This is a turn around from the  $6.2 billion deficit in the November 2010 budget forecast.

Looking Ahead

Also note that Minnesota Management and Budget’s forecast for the upcoming biennium shows a 6% increase in state revenues, amounting to $2 billion.  The February 2012 announcement showed 2012-13 projected revenue of $33.8 billion, and showed 2014-15 projected revenue of $35.8 billion.

So, as we head into our next budget with flush reserves and $2 billion of new money, I am confident we can fund our priorities with no cuts, and make significant progress toward paying back the school shift.  I will also push very hard for the small business tax relief we passed last year which was vetoed by Governor Datyon. The $1.1 billion projected deficit you see is based on the projected growth in spending to $36.8 billion, an increase of $3 Billion or 9%.

As for the talking point that the Republican-controlled legislature “balanced the budget on the backs of education,” nothing could be further from the truth. The DFL-controlled  legislature and then-Gov. Tim Pawlenty borrowed $1.4 billion of one-time money  from our schools.  In addition, the budget compromise with the Governor accepted his $700 million of additional one time money borrowed from our schools.  The good news is that $318 million of that has been repaid and sent back to our schools in July this year. The legislature also passed legislation to send the remaining $382 million back to our schools.  Unfortunately, this was vetoed by DFL Governor Mark Dayton.

As a former teacher I was well aware that a one time delay in  a portion of the funding to schools, was better than a permanent reduction in funding, I knew that the delay in some of the payment could cause schools to face a cash flow problem. That is why I successfully fought to add additional funds to the per pupil formula of $150 per pupil for the biennium   For example, this was nearly $1.8 million of new funding to the Rochester public schools. We will  continue to make significant progress toward paying back the one time money borrowed from schools.

Click below for Minnesota Management and Budget’s two most recent budget announcements for 2012-13.  Note: the surpluses described in the two announcements are additive:

• MMA November 2011 Budget Summary
• MMA February 2012 Budget Summary

Sen. Carla Nelson addresses the Rotary Club’s monthly gathering at the Kahler Hotel in Rochester Thursday

Addressing her fellow Rotarians Thursday at the Kahler Hotel in Rochester, Sen. Carla Nelson gave some remarks as to how she carries the Rotary Club’s motto  into practice.

Our Rotarian motto, “service above self” is the very thing we need in our communities, business and in our government.  I’ve carried this motto, service above self, from my well known community volunteerism to the Minnesota Senate.  It is a motto that I strive to live by.

Sen. Nelson went on to recount the highlights of her two years in office as a Senator from Southeast Minnesota.

Our first task at the legislature was to set the biennial budget for fiscal years 2012 and  2013. The reality we faced is that our state faced a $6 billion deficit for 2012 and 2013.  In other words without changing the law, our state had committed $6 billion more in spending than it had in revenues.  This was the largest budget deficit in Minnesota history.

So where are we today? According to the latest MMB reports the 2012 and 2013 budget has reversed from a $6B deficit to $1.44B surplus.

Sen. Nelson went on to illustrated how she is fighting to keep healthcare strong and competitive in the district, which she aided by working to phase out the 2% “sick tax,” and in trying to make Minnesota a more business-friendly by working in the Legislature to get business taxes down. Currently, the Tax Foundation rates Minnesota 45th out of 50 states for its business climate.

To work towards a state that’s competitive, Nelson cited her experience as an educator:

We must make sure our students are well prepared to succeed and fill technical jobs. As a former Rochester teacher, reading specialist and Vice Chair of the Senate Education Committee, I have been a leader in enacting state policy to help our schools ensure that our students graduate college and are career ready.  And it starts in the early grades as this Rotary Club will knows.  That is why one of our club’s goals is early literacy.

 

As an example of the Rotarian virtue of “service above self,” Sen. Nelson graciously turned attention to her hard-working volunteers, a number of whom were seated in the dining room for the luncheon.

Everyone who’s selflessly volunteered their time in this campaign is doing so to build a better community. They want this to be a place where good jobs and educational opportunities thrive.

Shaun Uhlir (right) discusses bullying issues with Sen. Carla Nelson at an anti-bullying rally held in Stewartville this past June

From today’s Post-Bulletin:

This June, I, along with close friends, sponsored an anti-bullying rally in Stewartville. We held it because we felt frustrated trying to work within the system when it came to confronting bullying.

The purpose of the rally was to share our experiences with bullying and come up with solutions. We invited Sen. Carla Nelson, vice chair of the Senate Education Committee, and she spoke to the assembled crowd and offered the resources of her office to help out anyone who had negative experiences with bullying.

She was genuinely interested in making sure people didn’t just fall through the cracks and came as a friend to several of the attendees.

Although the rally was very productive, one part was not. Her opponent, Mr. Moen showed up and addressed the crowd. His focus was not on our concerns, but he mainly personally attacked, in fact bullied, Sen. Nelson over a vote she cast in the senate against an anti-bullying bill.

She explained the amendment came before the Senate without any debate, and that the governor’s task force report on anti-bullying would soon be released. And she said she would request a hearing on the issue.

But Moen would not let the issue go. We had to tell him our rally was not intended as a political rally and to take his campaigning elsewhere.

I want an advocate like Sen. Nelson back in the Senate!

Shaun Uhlir
Stewartville