Miller keeps a hectic schedule as he represents his constituents in St. Paul

One thing you will notice when you walk into District 17A Rep. Tim Miller’s office in the State Office Building in St. Paul is that there is no desk. There are two small couches facing each other along the walls, a couple chairs, and a small high table.
There is no desk the Prinsburg Republican says because he is rarely in his office, and when he is, he is mostly meeting with constituents and lobbyists.
Miller was elected to his second two-year term in the Minnesota House last November defeating challenger and former state Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Rep. Andrew Falk.  District 17A includes Swift and Chippewa counties, most of Renville County, and the four southwestern Kandiyohi County townships of Edwards, Holland, Roseland and Lake Lillian.
Republicans control the Minnesota House with a decisive 76-57 majority. One seat is yet to be determined through a special election that was set for Feb. 14. Republicans were favored to win the seat. The Senate is also controlled by Republicans, but by just one seat 34-33.
However, House and Senate Republicans must craft their legislation so that DFL Gov. Mark Dayton doesn’t veto it.
Republicans came to power in the state House and Senate primarily because of the strong rural Minnesota support for their candidates. As a result, rural Minnesota is expected to have an influential voice in the 2017 Legislature’s agenda and on the bills that will eventually become law.
Miller is serving as the vice-chair of the Minnesota House Agriculture Finance Committee. He also serves on the Agriculture Policy, Capital Investment, and Transportation Finance committees.
“I am extremely pleased to be serving on these committees, and to have been named a vice chairman for ag finance,” Miller said when he received his committee assignments. “Rural issues and road and bridge improvements are two of the more important topics on the minds of residents in western Minnesota, and these assignments allow me to bring our voice to the table as legislation is being crafted.”
Dayton has proposed a $45.8 billion two-year budget proposal stressing health care, education and transportation needs. While Republicans will also be looking at spending in these areas, they will be looking at a tighter budget and will be looking to approve a tax cut.
Dayton and Republicans will working out the right mix of program funding and tax cuts with the benefit of a $1.4 billion state surplus....
 
For more on this story, and to keep up on all the latest news, subscribe to the Swift County Monitor-News print edition or our PDF internet edition. Call 320-843-4111 and you can get all the local news and sports delivered to you!
Pictured, top: District 17A state Rep. Tim Miller, R-Prinsburg, is serving his second two-year term in the Minnesota House. Swift County is part of his district. He is pictured above standing in the newly refurbished rotunda of the state Capitol.
Pictured, bottom: Minnesota’s Capitol renovation is nearly complete. This photo is of the west end of the Capitol, which houses the governor and sectretary of state offices.