Minnesota's 2008 Legislative Session came to a close leaving the books balanced and positioning the state to move forward with a number of investments.

House Majority Leader Tony Sertich is calling it the most productive sessions in the last few decades.

Lawmakers focused mainly on education, healthcare, property taxes, and jobs.

Despite a 925-million-dollar deficit, they managed to reel in a balanced budget without raising taxes, improve healthcare, and invest in a number of projects around the region.

Homeowners will see significant containment on property tax hikes.

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty explains, "The cap is set at 3.9- percent which still gives cities and counties to increase levies if they need to, but it limits how high they can go."

It's going to be about a 460- million dollar reduction from what property taxes would have been over 3 years.

In an effort to help protect Minnesota's elderly population, nursing home workers will see a 4% increase in wages over the next 2 years, "These are some of the people who have the lowest wages in the state and they're taking care of our parents and grandparents," says Senate Assistant Majority Leader Tarryl Clark.

Overall healthcare for Minnesotans will also see improvements in quality, affordability, and expanded access. Governor Pawlenty expands, "This bill will expand access to about 12,000 additional people. About half of that is through tax credits for people who need some extra help and about half of it is through expansions and outreach that programs that we have in Minnesota."

This year's session was particularly good for Northeastern Minnesota.

The session approved an increase of $60-million in local government aid.

One-point-six million of that will go to the City of Duluth.

That's in addition to a number of projects that will benefit from nearly a billion dollar bonding bill.

House Speaker Margaret Kelliher smiles saying, "We're just so happy to be in Duluth and be able to say the DECC will get done."

After years of negotiations, the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center will receive $38-million in funding for an expansion.

"Which means we will have larger conferences, more conferences, better venues than we have had in the past, it will become a regional center," says Representative Yvonne Prettner Solon.

Other key initiatives to benefit in the Northeast include $28-million to Itasca County for infrastructure improvements for the new Minnesota Steel Plant, and $20-million to develop the state's first major state park in 30 years on Lake Vermilion, and $10-million for the Civil Engineering Program at UMD.

However, Lake Superior College and Mesabi Range Community College took at hit when Governor Pawlenty vetoed $20-million in higher education bills.

Meanwhile, Students K-through-12 will see increased funding.

Local school districts will receive an additional $51 per student.

That will bring in more than a million dollars just for Duluth.

And, as far as an attempt to rally state support against the district's Long Range Facilities Plan... Pawlenty believes it is a local issue, "Let them hash it out. It's not for the state legislature to get in and micromanage."

But, school districts aside, lawmakers say this year's session made the grade.

"It's an A-plus session for Minnesota," affirms House Majority Leader Tony Sertich.

Several items were not approved in the session including a smoking shack provision, a bill to legalize medical marijuana, and a rail line between Duluth and Minneapolis.