Accessibility menu
State Representative Andrew Falk
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4228
For more information contact: Sandy Connolly 651-296-8877
NEWS COLUMN
FIRST BILL PASSED EXTENDS CRITICAL UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
It seems that every day of the week we hear about more companies that are being forced to lay people off because of the struggling economy. With so few new jobs being created, most of these men and women rely solely on their unemployment benefits to support themselves and their families. I can only imagine the anxiety they must feel as they watch time run out on those benefits.
Last week, the first bill we passed will extend those benefits for another 33 weeks for as many as 3,000 Minnesotans. Another 150 people a week will become eligible under this new law. These individuals will receive this extension when they have used up their state unemployment benefits but don’t qualify for a federal extension. The new law will buy them some additional time, and may even help them keep their homes and their health insurance.
The economic recovery of our state is our primary responsibility this session. One of the tools we will use is the federal economic recovery legislation President Obama is working to get passed. Although we don’t know yet how much money Minnesota will get, an early version of the bill indicated it could be in the range of $3 billion.
To help us prepare for this money, the first bill we introduced in the House creates a framework for determining how this federal money will be spent when it arrives. We will work hard to be involved in determining where the money will be spent, in some cases identifying specific needs within each designated area. For example, it is expected there will be a significant amount for infrastructure. I believe the legislature is in a good position to offer directions to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) on what projects should be given a high priority status. Above all, we want to make sure these dollars are used wisely and fairly, with the primary intent of creating and retaining jobs and stimulation economic growth.
One aspect of the Governor’s budget proposal I didn’t discuss in last week’s column is his proposed cuts to Local Government Aid (LGA). This important funding for towns and cities is used to help pay for services such as police and fire departments, road upkeep and improvements, water and sewer, parks and libraries. These are the areas we could likely see change if drastic cuts to LGA are passed, and all likelihood, property taxes will once again go up.
Consider this: if the Governor’s budget passes intact, the city of Appleton will lose over $300,000 over the next two years; Kerkhovan will lose $75,000 and Murdock will lose almost $22,000. Pulling this much money out of already tight budgets will not be easy. There are already towns in Minnesota that can only afford to plow the streets after every other snowstorm.
LGA was first cut in 2003 to address the budget deficit, and again at the end of 2008. Local officials across the state are appealing to the Governor not to cut this funding again. We’ll work with the Governor over the coming weeks to see if we can find other options to balancing the state budget.
Please continue to contact me with your suggestions and feedback. We are all in this together, and I look forward to hearing from you. You can reach me at 651-296-4228 or by email at rep.andrew.falk@house.mn.
News Items
- Budget Forecast: Major budget problems remain for 2014-15 Fiscal crisis in Washington creates uncertainty and concerns - (Posted: Dec 5 2012 12:00AM)
- Budget Forecast: Major budget problems remain for 2014-15 Fiscal crisis in Washington creates uncertainty and concerns - (Posted: 2012-12-05 00:00:00)
- 2012 SESSION WRAP UP - (Posted: 2012-07-05 00:00:00)
- Archived News Items
- Subscribe to RSS News Feeds
- Read more about RSS.