Bunn:
State Representative Julie Bunn (DFL-Lake Elmo) praised the 2008 State Legislature for passing bipartisan legislation that delivered for both the East Metro and the entire state.
"This Legislative Session has been about meeting Minnesota's priorities," said State Representative Julie Bunn. "In these challenging economic times, we stuck to the basics and delivered on fiscally responsible legislation to secure long-term economic vitality and prosperity for our state. Lawmakers worked hard throughout the summer to prepare legislation on everything from health care reform to transportation so that we could hit the ground running from the very first day of the 2008 session."
In 2008, key East Metro bonding projects funded include: $7.9 million for Century College, $25 million for closed landfill cleanup programs that include the Washington County Closed Landfill in Lake Elmo, $155,000 for the Bayport Sewer Project, additional dollars for Stillwater flood control, and funds to enhance security at the Oak Park Heights prison. Also, contained in the Supplemental Budget Bill just passed is statewide legislation chief authored by Bunn to restrict municipal solid waste and industrial landfills from being sited where high risk for contamination of ground water exists. This landfill siting legislation will challenge the siting of a proposed fly ash landfill in West Lakeland Township along I-94.
Bunn said she was pleased at the way lawmakers led the way to meet our state's greatest challenges. The 2008 legislative session will be remembered as one of the most productive and efficient sessions in Minnesota's history. Additional resources for our schools and nursing homes, direct property tax aid, a transportation-funding package, a strategic public works bill that focuses on higher education and environmental investments, and a health care reform package are among the positive strides made for our communities. "We set a new direction for Minnesota by focusing on the bread and butter issues affecting families across our state,” State Representative Julie Bunn said." "We built coalitions with so many stakeholders to serve important Minnesota initiatives in tough economic times while closing a billion dollar budget gap without raising taxes. I want to thank everyone involved in the collaborative legislative processes that took place this year. It was an honor to work with you to serve the interests of Minnesotans."
