Fresh off the close of the 2014 Congressional session, Rep. John Kline said Monday that he expects more legislation to pass smoothly in Washington with a Republican-led House and Senate next year, including initiatives for education reform.

Kline, a Republican representing Minnesota's Second District, sat down with reporters before taking a holiday break. The veteran congressman was optimistic about 2015, saying a new GOP majority in the session will likely bring a sea change by allowing more bills to the floor.

"I expect to see a very different process where legislation will move, contrary to the past six years," he said.

'Purely partisan'

He called last week's release of the Senate Intelligence Committee's report alleging torture against suspected terrorists "purely partisan."

"This is created by Senate Democrat staffers to criticize the CIA and previous administration," Kline said. "There may be things that are true concerning torture, and maybe not, but I don't like a one-party report. There's not one Republican drop of ink in that report."

Torture "should not be a partisan issue," he said. "We should not give [this report] objective credibility."

Adieu, No Child

Kline, who cruised to a seventh term in November, will continue leading the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Together with his Senate counterpart Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Kline said his first priority is to replace No Child Left Behind and reduce the role of the federal government in K-12 education. Whatever the new act is called, the name "No Child Left Behind," he said, is history.

"You can count on that," he said.

Kline said among the components he'll push for is a re­allocation of money from other areas to special education, which he said is underfunded by half. Kline said they've set an ambitious timeline, getting the bill through committee by February and ideally passing it by summer. Beyond that, he said, the presidential campaigns begin their full swing, making it more difficult to pass legislation.

Kline and GOP Rep. Erik Paulsen were the only two members of the entire Minnesota delegation who supported the continuing resolution to fund the federal government, which passed the House last week and the Senate over the weekend. Kline said he would rather vote on each of the appropriations bills separately, rather than a giant omnibus that funded all but the Department of Homeland Security through Sept. 30.

Kline said he had little opposition to the bill, other than that he believes Department of Defense cuts were too deep given the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. Kline disagrees with the withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, saying "I think we're going to have to show a greater presence on the ground at some point."

Eye toward the future

Kline declined to say whether he would consider running for an eighth term in two years.

"Anybody can step away anytime," he said, adding that he has no plans to leave his seat.

Kline also said it is too early to say which Republican he would back for a presidential run, and acknowledged the field would likely be large. Generally speaking, he said he would prefer the executive experience of a governor over a candidate who serves as Senator.

Abby Simons • 651-925-5043