“The decisions House Republicans made the last four years have worked to get our economy growing. What concerns me is Democrats passed historic increases in taxing and spending the last time they held a majority and I don’t expect even a $1.5 billion surplus will change their tune this time around. A top focus of mine this session will be to be a voice of reason during budget talks, putting taxpayers first. My message will be simply put: Let’s do the right thing by using this surplus to provide tax relief to Minnesotans.”