Greetings Friends and Neighbors,
The
2015 Legislative Session begins this coming Monday. It will be challenging, as
we build a budget that reflects the values of the people of our state and
district and prioritizes jobs, education and responsible spending. I will focus my
efforts on policies that make our state more prosperous with better educational
opportunities and abundant jobs.
Thank you for allowing me to serve as your state senator.
John Braun,
20th District Senator
Committee Assignments
This year, in addition to serving on the Environment, Energy
and Telecommunications committee, I will serve as vice-chair of three
committees: Trade and Economic Development, Commerce and Labor, and Ways and
Means. I also have the honor of serving as the Senate Deputy Majority Leader.
My
Priorities for 2015
Our state must prioritize its investments to produce the best results
for citizens. We need better educational opportunities and outcomes as well as a
business climate that lets companies create jobs and compete without onerous
regulatory burdens. I am working on a variety of issue areas including access
to affordable college education, fairness in our tax system, job creation and investing
in our state’s water resources and infrastructure.
My approach to solving the problems that face our state is to use common
sense and participate in a healthy debate on the issues. In light of the
governor’s recent budget proposal, we have a lot to do to insure that citizens
are getting the best from their government. Although we face significant
pressure to fully fund basic education, we need to invest wisely in programs
that produce results for our students. The reality is that more money
is available for budgeting in 2015-2017 - nearly $3 billion in revenue growth - than in the previous (2013-2015) budget
cycle. I believe this is sufficient to maintain current state government
programs and make the necessary investments in basic education required by
current law and by the state Supreme Court’s McCleary decision, without
additional taxes.
Meeting the McCleary requirements
to fully fund basic education will be challenging because we do have other
obligations. However, the challenge is not insurmountable. With necessary
reforms to how our state conducts business, we can find cost-savings, protect
tax-payers and invest in a brighter future for students.
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