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State Representative Paul Anderson
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4317
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NEWS COLUMN
Notes from the Capitol
By State Rep. Paul Anderson
The day finally arrived.
The opening Tuesday of the legislative session was the culmination of many long days of campaigning this past summer and fall. Standing in the House chamber, with my wife, Faith, and daughter, Apryl and her husband at my side, and reciting the Oath of Office, was an experience I will never forget. In light of all the tough decisions facing Minnesota in the days ahead, it’s humbling to know that the residents of District 13A have entrusted me with the responsibility of representing them in St. Paul.
We actually traveled down to St. Paul Monday to get settled. Leaving early in the morning, I managed to hit a deer just a couple of miles from home. This is not a good way to start a legislative career, I thought to myself.
One thing I learned quickly was that nearly everyone knows Bud. After six years in the Legislature, Bud Heidgerken is nearly a legend! More than one person has told me that I have big shoes to fill, and I couldn’t agree more. Bud did a wonderful job for us in St. Paul, and I will do my best to carry on that tradition while filling my own shoes. The desk I’ve been assigned on the House floor is the same one that Bud had, and my office is right next door to the one he occupied.
Thanks, Bud, for all you did for our district, and thanks, also, for making the transition go smoothly.
New members of the House didn’t gain access to their e-mail accounts until after they were sworn in, so Tuesday afternoon was spent wading through the nearly 200 messages on my screen. E-mail is an excellent tool for communicating with us here in St. Paul. My address is: rep.paul.anderson@house.mn.
I don’t know if anything could prepare a new legislator for the deluge of information that we’ve been given so far. There were four days of orientation, one in November and three more in December. One piece of advice picked up had to do with not trying to become an expert on every subject. There are simply too many topics and most do get complicated. We were advised to pick three or four areas that are of strong interest, and try to develop a knowledge base in those particular subject areas.
Committee assignments were recently announced, and I’m happy with the committees that I received. I’ll take Bud’s place on K-12 Education Finance, and I’m also a member of the Ag Finance Committee. Those were my first two choices for committee assignment. I was also placed on the Environmental Policy Committee and Government Operations.
The topic on everyone’s mind is the budget and the state shortfall. One positive aspect I’ve noticed so far is that people seem to be realistic. Folks on both sides of the aisle agree that cuts have to be made to the budget and, faced with the staggering deficit, agreement on some of those cuts may come sooner rather than later.
There seems to be a general understanding among people here in St. Paul and also those back home that we will all be affected by this deficit, and that we need to work together to come out of it. Let’s hope and pray that happens.
If anyone is planning on coming down to the Capitol, let my office know about your visit. If I’m not in a committee meeting, I’d love to visit with you.
Until next week, thanks for the honor of serving you.
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Rep. Anderson encourages constituents to contact his new office with input regarding any state legislative issue. He can be reached on the web at www.house.mn/13A and via email at rep.paul.anderson@house.mn. To contact Anderson by phone, call (651) 296-4317. Mail can be sent to Rep. Paul Anderson, 239 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, Minnesota 55155.
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