[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 19586]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



  HONORING THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MINNESOTA TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION

 Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
Minnesota Taxpayers Association, for its long and proud history of 
working to disseminate accurate, nonpartisan fiscal information to the 
citizens of Minnesota. The Minnesota Taxpayers Association celebrates 
its 75th anniversary this year, as one of the Nation's most acclaimed 
taxpayer organizations.
  Its membership has been comprised of thousands of Minnesota's 
business leaders, government officials and concerned citizens. Its 
stellar leadership, on both its Board and its staff, has consistently 
been populated by Minnesota's most able and intelligent citizens.
  The Minnesota Taxpayers Association, MTA, was founded in 1926 when 
America was in the middle of a strong recovery from World War I, and we 
were on a ``return to normalcy'' path in both foreign relations and 
domestic policies.
  The Association started as part of a larger government research 
movement in the country aimed at bringing more professionalism to 
government, particularly local government. The first steps toward 
launching the Minnesota Taxpayers Association were taken at a meeting 
in Minneapolis on February 25, 1926. It was planned that the 
Association's core would consist of representatives of 15 local 
taxpayers groups. The first objective of the new nonpartisan 
association was to reduce taxes. Three other objectives were to 
eliminate extravagance, reduce public debt, and stop misuse of public 
funds.
  On November 22, 1926, the Association became a permanent organization 
at a meeting at the Nicollet Hotel in Minneapolis. In short order, 
representatives of 28 counties formed the South Central, Southeast, and 
Southwest Taxpayers Associations at meetings in Mankato, Rochester, and 
Worthington, MN, respectively. They were so successful that by April of 
1927 there were 45 county taxpayer groups across the State. By World 
War II, the MTA had grown to be an association of 81 county taxpayer 
groups.
  In August of 1956, the MTA merged with the Minnesota Institute of 
Governmental Research, MIGR, another nonpartisan government research 
organization. The institute's research bulletins covered such topics as 
property tax issues; the merits of a sales taxation, more than 30 years 
before the State's first sales tax in 1967; and an analysis of the new 
Social Security Act and its implications for Minnesota.
  Because government itself did little research in those days, MIGR had 
a tremendous impact on Minnesota State government. MIGR's work inspired 
the creation of the 1939 Reorganization Act under Governor Harold 
Stassen. This act received national attention as it produced major 
improvements in the administration of State government, saving millions 
of dollars in the first 10 years after enactment.
  It was through the Reorganization Act and the work of MIGR that the 
Departments of Taxation and Administration were created and the spoils 
system was replaced with civil service. As a follow-up to the 
Reorganization Act, MIGR staff was loaned to the ``Little Hoover'' 
Commission of the early 1950s to study areas for further reform in 
State government.
  Within two years of the merger, in August of 1958, MTA became 
incorporated. At that time, it moved away from being an umbrella 
organization for county-level taxpayer groups to being an organization 
with its own board of directors and a statewide membership of 
individuals and companies. Its focus also changed to monitoring State 
fiscal matters and advocating for sound fiscal policy.
  In 1957, MTA started publishing ``Fiscal Facts for Minnesotans,'' a 
popular handbook of State and local fiscal data that continues to be 
published today. A widely read and discussed publication series was 
begun in 1969 with the first release of ``How Does Minnesota Compare?'' 
a State-by-State comparison of key tax and spending aggregates.
  The Minnesota Taxpayers Association has steadfastly stressed the 
importance of good information and citizen involvement in government. 
As evidence of its commitment to these goals, the Association continues 
to focus on research publications aimed at educating the public, 
publications like its award-winning ``Understanding Your Property 
Taxes'' and its ``Guide to State Government Spending,'' as well as on 
countless public presentations and frequent legislative consultations.
  As State and local governments take on more responsibility for 
designing, funding, and delivering public services, and as taxpayers 
look for greater value for their tax dollars, the need for 
organizations like the Minnesota Taxpayers Association increases. The 
Association's work over the past 75 years has been a great asset to the 
people of Minnesota, and its reputation for excellence and integrity 
assures a prominent and vital role for this outstanding organization in 
the improvement of Minnesota State and local government in the years 
ahead.

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