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Capitol View®
Tim Pugmire

Bakk’s bet on jobs

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The tax committee chairman in the Minnesota Senate is promising a bill that balances the state budget and grows new jobs.

Sen. Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, says the state has been moving backwards on job creation. He says the tax bill coming out next week will invest a significant amount of money in economic development. DFL Senate leaders have said they need $2 billion in new revenue under their plan to erase the state's $4.6 billion budget deficit. During a committee hearing today, Bakk said the state has a huge job problem. Bakk, who's running for governor in 2010, was particularly critical of the record of the current administration.

"I will bet anybody in this room that wants to bet $100 that under Gov. Pawlenty, at the end of eight years, the state is going to have negative jobs," Bakk said. "There are going to be less jobs in Minnesota at the end of his term than there was at the beginning."

Senate Republicans are also pushing for more jobs. But Minority Leader Dave Senjem, R-Rochester, says, tax increases aren't the way to get there.

"If we're 41st in the country in overall business climate, from a tax perspective, will we be better if we're 42?," Senjem asked. "I doubt that we will."