Editorial: Session off to good start

Minnesota Republican leaders have promised results this session. They must deliver, and that will mean compromising with the Democrat in the Governor's Office.

Voters gave the Grand Old Party control of both the state House and Senate. With that control comes power.

Assistant House Majority Leader Tim Kelly has it exactly right. "We better do something with it," he told the R-E prior to the session's start.

The Red Wing Republican then added that if his party doesn’t do the job, you can bet people will vote Democrats back into power two years from now.

We like what we're seeing and hearing at the Legislature so far.

House File 1 sets a goal of the state issuing environmental permits within 150 days. That should help businesses with new ideas and expansions put people to work faster than they typically can now.

Senate File 1 calls for cutting business income taxes and streamlining state business regulations.

And the House Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Committee is tackling nuclear power — and radioactive waste — issues. All three of these early bills, especially this one, are key for Red Wing.

Kelly predicted citizens would see “right out of the gate — real economic soundness" and that’s happening.

Equally important, GOP leaders and Gov. Mark Dayton are talking. Their exchanges continually refer to working together and they’re not as far apart on some issues as extremists in either party might lead you to believe. Dayton and Republicans agree, for example, that the state takes too much time to act on business permits.

We like the style of the new leadership team. Citizens, of course, want results, and must get them.

Tags: daily updates, opinion, editorials, legislature, politics