There's a new place for Minnesotans to give state leaders a piece of their mind about ways to improve state government.

State House members announced a new hotline Monday where Minnesotans as part of a larger effort to improve and streamline state government.

To let your opinion be known, call (651) 297-8391 or (800) 551-5520. On the Web, go to: www.house.mn/redesign.

Don't just call to vent. They want solutions on everything from taxes, to K-12 education, to public safety.

Lawmakers will take the best six suggestions and put them in a bill that could become law.

State leaders want to transform state government as many Minnesotans edge toward retirement and transition out of the workforce, said state Rep. Paul Marquart, DFL- Dilworth, who has launched a new effort to redesign state government.

The old partisan battles between cutting spending and raising taxes won't provide the kind of government Minnesotans want, Marquart said. "We have some challenges today that we will not be able to fix by the old way of doing things," he said.

In calling for bold and innovative solutions, Marquart noted that Ford Motor Co. founder Henry Ford wasn't merely trying to build a better horse or that inventor Thomas Edison didn't merely try to improve the candle.

"We need to be the Henry Fords and the Thomas Edisons," Marquart said. "That is going to be the key to addressing these challenges."

Marquart didn't offer any timeline for the reforms or offer any idea how much – if any – money would be saved. He said the proposal initially wouldn't result in lost jobs, but over the years state government would likely operate with fewer people.

While Marquart called it a bipartisan effort, no Republican lawmakers attended the Capitol news conference.

Instead, Republicans issued a news release criticizing Democrats.

"We have been trying to reform government for a decade and been met with a deaf ear from Democrats," House Republican Minority Leader Kurt Zellers said in a statement. "We don't need another discussion group, we need action."