Letter - 2012: a year for reform

To the editor:

Since balancing the budget in 2011 and with a surplus in 2012, we are making a commitment to focus on reform during this session. Last fall, many of our members traveled to dozens of cities and met with hundreds of business owners, local government leaders and interested citizens to gather input on how to reform state and local government. Their ideas are our agenda.

Our goals are to restore confidence and grow the private sector, and reduce the size and cost of government. By bringing reform to each of these areas, I believe that government can produce better and more efficient results for Minnesotans while putting their tax money to good use.

Some of the common sense proposals that we are going to introduce include: creating a small business regulatory review board that will review and repeal rules that are outdated and have a negative impact on the economy; and reform prevailing wage laws to lower the cost of construction projects and make Minnesota competitive with surrounding states. We will also create an advisory inspection program so businesses can fix issues without the threat of penalties and fines, and we also want to lower energy costs by counting hydro power under the Renewable Energy Standard.

Many of these reforms are long overdue and it is time we make our businesses a priority here in Minnesota. Many other states operate under these standards and that makes them more business friendly. We cannot afford to lose businesses to other states; we need to give our job creators the tools they need to thrive in Minnesota.

Job creation will fuel our economy and help put many Minnesotans back to work. Our businesses need a boost and by reducing government regulation we can give them the tools to grow and expand.

Representative Mary Franson

R-Alexandria, MN

Tags: opinion, letters