The Minnesota legislative session begins today, and we are hopeful this session will be a good one for southern Minnesota and the rest of the rural parts of the state.

Minnesota’s new governor, Tim Walz, campaigned on the theme of “One Minnesota,” and we hope he and legislators will make that theme a priority this session.

Walz, a Democrat from Mankato, knows the struggles and challenges many Greater Minnesota cities face from his time representing the 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

We hope he will be an advocate on issues such as increased local government aid and transportation funding, as well as bills that may offer assistance or solutions to the shortages of workforce housing and child care.

The Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities and local officials in the past have expressed support for bringing LGA back to its 2002 levels. LGA not only helps cities provide much-needed services to residents and businesses, but it also helps keep property taxes down.

Workforce housing and adequate access to child care are key to maintaining a strong workforce and go hand in hand with economic development.

In addition to the top priority of the two-year budget, other important issues up for discussion will be legislation to harmonize state income laws with the federal tax overhaul, whether to raise the gas tax and proposals for universal background checks for gun purchases, among others.

Walz takes over as governor after former Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton retired after eight years in the position.

There is an estimated $1.5 billion surplus for the next two-year budget period.

With that surplus, we hope to see a session that benefits all parts of the state — especially Greater Minnesota.