Taxes: The last session of the legislature began with a $2.2 billion surplus, sufficient income to make critical investments in education, health care, transportation and the environment. However, many DFL lawmakers wanted to increase income taxes on hard-working families and small businesses, and dramatically increase state spending.

Thanks to Governor Pawlenty and House Republicans, the budget was balanced without raising taxes. Given the growth in our Minnesota economy, and the corresponding increase in tax revenues resulting from this growth, tax increases are not necessary to balance the state budget. Government must learn to live within its means just like families in Goodhue, Wabasha and Winona counties do every day.

Double digit increases in property taxes are severely impacting homeowners, senior citizens and farmers. Rep. Steve Sviggum proposed a sensible property tax rebate program last year which would have used some of the $2.2 billion surplus to provide an immediate 10 percent rebate while significant property tax reform measures were debated. Unfortunately, his plan was not passed and the problem has worsened. Recent revenue forecasts indicate another surplus may be accruing which provides an opportunity for property tax rebates similar to the Sviggum proposal when the legislature convenes next February.

Education: Declining enrollment and the state funding disparity between rural Minnesota schools and Twin Cities schools continues to cause operational challenges for our district’s schools.  State mandates threaten the ability of our schools to provide high quality education at reasonable funding levels. Steve strongly favors reducing state mandates for schools, simplifying the state's funding formulas to make them easier for all to understand, increasing local school board control, and introducing performance pay for teachers.  He will fight for schools in rural Minnesota – to bring equity in education funding with the Twin Cities.

Transportation: A gas tax increase would cripple the economy in House District 28B. Families and businesses are struggling with today’s high gas prices, and raising the gas tax would exacerbate the problem. Steve supports the Governor’s plan to bond for $1.7 Billion in road improvements and to pay the bonds back with the constitutionally-dedicated motor vehicle sales taxes that are currently collected from Minnesotans.

Steve favors using the $250 million surplus to help counties repair and improve roads. He would move to devote all road- related state fees to road projects. Steve will work for transportation funding that keeps locally generated transportation taxes working on projects right here, rather than exporting them to the metro area.

Immigration: Minnesota is a warm and welcoming state for those who choose to legally immigrate here. Steve's wife, Laura, legally immigrated here from Canada. Those who come here legally go through a process that ensures the safety of our country. Those who come here without regard to the law commit a crime in doing so. Upon election to the Minnesota House, Steve will work hard to exert Minnesota's leadership in helping to secure the Mexican border.  He will work toward policy that deports illegal aliens who have been incarcerated in our state's jails and prisons.  One of the first bills that Steve will author will provide for the recognition of English as our state's official language.
Property Rights: Steve will work vigorously to draft legislation that protects private property from being taken for illegitimate purposes by state or local governments through eminent domain or regulatory takings.

Strengthening Families: Children of divorced, separated, or unmarried parents overwhelmingly find themselves in situations where they are placed into the sole physical custody of one parent. Healthy children require the love and attention of both parents in order to become healthy and productive adults. Steve will author legislation establishing a presumption of joint physical custody in Minnesota's family law statutes. This will ensure that more children are able to spend equal time with both parents.

Marriage: Marriage is a time-tested and sacred institution between one man and one woman. Steve firmly believes that Minnesotans should be given the opportunity to vote upon the constitutional definition of marriage for our state.

Guns: Steve highly values gun ownership, personal protection, and the second amendment. He believes that our right to own and bear arms shall not be infringed, period.

Healthcare: Health care costs continue to grow at average rates of about 15% per year. These growth rates are not affordable or sustainable in the budgets of most Minnesotans.  Draz believes that personal choice and personal responsibility have been removed from our system, creating a government-driven momentum for health care price increases.

There are 4 areas in which we can work to decrease health care costs for all Minnesotans:

Reduce government mandates.  Minnesota government mandates on insurance companies and health care providers is costing Minnesotans in both the prices they pay for health care and the choices that they have in receiving it.  We must eliminate many of these mandates in order to restore market forces, which will bring pricing integrity back to the system and will lower health care costs.

Reform tort liability for health care providers.  Doctors are people.  They are not perfect.  Although we have the very best health care system in the world, and health care providers work very hard to become even better, some mistakes are still made.  The ability for people to become rich off of the
health care system by suing doctors must stop.  These costs are passed right on to consumers contributing to high health care costs.

Health Savings Accounts.  Most people and many businesses are not aware of the availability of health savings accounts as a tool for reducing the cost of their health care.  We need to step up the education effort by introducing these to people.  Health savings accounts help reduce health care expense by bringing personal responsibility into the equation.

Elderly care and families.  Many families would like to care for their elderly parents, but most cannot afford to.  Under the contemporary practice of placing the elderly into assisted living facilities or nursing homes, care of the elderly is very expensive for families.  We need to encourage families to care for their elderly parents by adjusting policies to provide incentives to do so. These incentives may include, but would not be limited to providing tax incentives and reforming rules for the distribution of government payments dedicated to elder care so that families can be paid for the care they provide to
their elderly parents.