Rep. Brita Sailer - Proven Leadership and Results

Budget Priorities and Fiscal Responsibility

• Balanced the state budget which was facing a $3 billion deficit in 2010. Reductions were made in every area of state government, except nursing homes and veterans’ programs.
• Fought to protect state aid given to local government to fund law enforcement, fire protection and other vital services.

Job Creation and Small Business Development

• Passed a capital investment bill early in the 2010 Session, taking advantage of low construction costs in time for the spring construction season. Created 20,000 jobs by investing in higher education facilities, clean water infrastructure, and roads and bridges.
• Ensured that $100,000 in Energy Stimulus funds for Park Rapids could help small business owners and residents make their buildings and homes more energy efficient and install new technologies.
• Assisted Anderson Fabrics with unemployment and job sharing issues with the state.

Safety in Our Communities

• As a member of the House Telecommunications Committee, Rep. Sailer worked on a bill to ensure law enforcement access to vital cell phone records when it can help them find a missing person.
• Strengthened domestic abuse laws.
• Passed tougher DWI laws, including requiring ignition locks for repeat offenders.

Health Care Needs

• Co-authored legislation to help those suffering from Lyme disease by making it easier for doctors to treat patients with the disease.
• Restored General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) for 85,000 Minnesotans, including 8,000 veterans. Fought for adequate hospital funding, and protected nursing homes from budget cuts.
• Contained costs for cancer patients taking orally administered cancer drugs.

Other highlights

• Created a fair and sensible solution to expedite septic system installation in rural Minnesota.
• Streamlined other state government regulations to facilitate business growth and local government operations.
• Clarified laws regarding landfills to ensure new ones won’t contaminate drinking water and existing ones remain open.
• Eased the way for telecommunication and electric utilities to get right-of-way access to build important infrastructure at a lower cost to consumers.
• Improved winter tourism opportunities by providing more resources to maintain cross country ski trails and allowing greater access for certain veterans and youth groups.
• Met with area nurses to discuss health care issues affecting nurses, hospitals, nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
• Supported legislation to increase funding for veterans’ programs and to expand eligibility for education benefits for family members of veterans.
• Met with the Blackduck Future Farmers of America as they visited the State Capitol.
• Worked to ensure that Minnesota will be able to meet our energy needs with clean renewable energy technologies and our existing energy infrastructure.
• Worked with the director of the Pine Ridge home for the developmentally disabled to increase funding for the Bagley home and help keep the facility open.
• Passed the Renewable Energy Standard to get 20 percent of our energy from renewable sources by 2020. Despite the forces against this legislation, it is overwhelmingly supported by Minnesotans.
• Was chief author of nation-leading legislation to require manufacturers to help pay for disposal of the electronics they produce.

2009-2010 Bonding Bill

• The Red Lake School District Bonding Project was vetoed by the Governor. This project would have allowed the Red Lake school district to complete additions and renovations to the Red Lake Middle School and High School complex.
• The Governor vetoed funding for the Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories project for the University of Minnesota. The project would have built a new campus center at the Itasca Biological Station in Itasca State Park. The center would be a year-round and multipurpose building to support research and outreach projects. The new building would replace several deteriorating single-function buildings.

Proven Leadership and Results