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State Representative Leon Lillie
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-1188
For more information contact: Ted Modrich 651-296-5809
NEWS COLUMN
Working together to solve Minnesota’s problems
The legislative session continues to roll along as bills move through the committee process and legislators listen to testimony from experts and talk with our constituents. We’re laying the groundwork for the rest of the session and working to tackle our budget deficit and help put Minnesotans back to work.
In the spirit of getting to know the new legislators and in trying to foster cooperation and bipartisanship, Governor Dayton has been gracious enough to invite legislators of both parties over to the Governor’s Mansion to meet with him and commissioners. I strongly believe that if we’re going to solve this budget crisis, it will require goodwill from the governor and both parties in the legislature, and I’m pleased to see that the governor is working to build that goodwill.
We have also been slowly but surely getting to know the new agency commissioners appointed by the governor. All of the commissioners I’ve met have been incredible public servants who are focused on serving the people of Minnesota to the best of their ability, not in scoring political points.
One of the commissioners that I’m particularly excited about is Mark Phillips. Mark is the husband of District 622 Superintendent Patty Phillips, a school district in the North St. Paul and Maplewood area. Mark has been appointed to lead the Department of Employment and Economic Development. This department is going to be key in our job creation efforts for Minnesota, and I’m certain he’ll be up to the task.
On February 9, Governor Dayton delivered his State of the State Address, sharing his views on where we are and where we’re headed as a state; and then on February 15, the governor released his plan to balance the state’s budget and erase a $6.2 billion shortfall. Governor Dayton didn’t pull any punches. He knows it’ll be painful to balance the budget and he acknowledged as much. Now the legislature has to be smart, creative, and courageous enough to follow his lead and make intelligent choices for Minnesota’s future. If we’re able to do that, we’ll be in excellent position for the future.
Last week I was also given the privilege of serving the people of Minnesota on the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council. The Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council was created to offer funding recommendations to the legislature from the Outdoor Heritage Fund. This fund was one of four funds created by the passage of the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment passed in 2008 and receives one-third of the funds raised through the amendment.
It is a tremendous honor to be on a council that does so much work to protect and preserve the natural beauty that we all love so dearly in this state.
As always, please feel free to contact me with your questions, suggestions and concerns. My office is room 281 in the State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-1188 and by email at rep.leon.lillie@house.mn. You can also monitor activities at the House, track bills, watch live video and sign up for my email update list by going to http://house.mn.
Leon Lillie
State Representative
District 55A
News Items
- SUPPORTING RESPONSIBLE HOMEOWNERS AND STABILIZING NEIGHBORHOODS - (Posted: 2012-03-01 00:00:00)
- Email Update -- Feb. 16, 2012 - (Posted: 2012-02-16 00:00:00)
- 2012 LEGISLATIVE SESSION PREVIEW - (Posted: 2012-01-26 00:00:00)
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