ST. PAUL, Minn. _ Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton fainted near the end of a 45-minute state of the state speech Monday night at the Capitol. Aides caught him as he fell while standing behind a lectern in the House chambers in St. Paul. The legislators immediately adjourned the gathering, and Dayton appeared to be seated upright and aware shortly after the incident occurred.
Dayton gave his penultimate State of the State address Monday night, unveiling a broad vision for his final two years in office that calls for targeted "public investments" that include $371 million in additional funding for schools and the creation of a public health-insurance option.
While reflecting on his six years as Minnesota's chief executive, Dayton touted a number of metrics that have improved during his stewardship of the state.
The unemployment rate has fallen by nearly half from when Dayton first took office in January 2011, from 6.9 percent to 3.9 percent in December.
Instead of the massive budget deficit facing Minnesota six years ago, state budget officials currently project a surplus of $1.4 billion, and the state's overall fiscal picture has improved, including a rainy-day fund that has a reached $2 billion, a record.
Dayton, however, quickly pivoted to pressing problems facing Minnesota that he said will require bipartisan agreement, including aging roads and bridges, diminished water quality and racial disparities that threaten the state's economic future.
"We have much to be grateful for, and many achievements to celebrate," Dayton said, addressing state legislators assembled in the newly restored Capitol. "But we still face serious challenges. From education achievement gaps, to aging transportation infrastructure, excessive health care costs, polluted waters, and inequities within and between our communities."
Dayton, who turns 70 on Thursday, continued: "We will never solve the problems facing Minnesota, unless we first resolve our own. That is, our unwillingness to work together."
Dayton pledged to safeguard the state's budget from big tax cut proposals he said could push the state into deficit in future budget cycles. He spoke at length about economic uncertainty, including widening income inequality and the hollowing out of the middle class that he said state leaders should more aggressively tackle.
Amid a legislative session already dominated by debate on how to address skyrocketing health insurance premiums, as well as other problems in the state's insurance market, Dayton unveiled a new public option for some Minnesota consumers.
The governor is proposing the creation of a public option available to Minnesotans who make between 201 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty line. For a family of four, qualifying household income would be between $49,200 and $97,200 annually.
If enacted, qualifying consumers would be able to purchase MinnesotaCare coverage, a publicly funded health insurance aimed at low-income residents. Unlike the existing MinnesotaCare program, which has more than 100,000 residents enrolled, the premiums would be paid for by consumers who purchase the coverage.
Dayton on Tuesday will unveil his final two-year budget proposal, which will guide negotiations with legislators in coming months.
