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State Representative Andrew Falk
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4228
For more information contact: Matt Swenson 651-297-8406
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GETTING OUR HANDS DIRTY, WORKING HARD FOR MINNESOTA
Thank you for allowing me the honor to serve you in the Minnesota House of Representatives for another term. Like last session, Minnesota faces many challenges. Now, more than ever, state lawmakers and Governor Dayton must work together to responsibly resolve the budget deficit and get Minnesotans back to work.
The Great Recession was the steepest economic downturn since the Great Depression. While I believe that we are starting to turn the corner, Minnesotans are still working, earning, and spending less, than before the onset of the Great Recession. As a result, our State Economist Tom Stinson and other budget experts have predicted another multi-billion dollar budget deficit.
With 209,000 Minnesotans out of work, and thousands more working fewer hours and earning less under deep wage cuts, the state now faces a $6.2 billion budget shortfall. Already, billions have been cut from the state budget and the temporary budget tools to delay the problem have been exhausted. It’s time now to make some very difficult choices that resolve the problem fairly and responsibly, while protecting Minnesota jobs, classrooms, and the elderly and vulnerable.
That is no easy task. But as Franklin Roosevelt said at the height of the Great Depression: “We are stricken by no plague of locusts. Compared with the perils our forefathers conquered, because they believed and were not afraid we have still much to be thankful for."
Minnesotans need that confidence and courage now, as ever. Even though the effects of the recession linger, recent job trends are improving.
According to the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), unemployment in Swift County is down to 6.5 percent, compared to 9 percent last January. In Lincoln County, unemployment has dropped 2.6 points to 4.4 percent. It has dropped 2.3 percent in Yellow Medicine and La qui Parle counties. And unemployment has dropped 1.6 percent in Big Stone.
Emerging from this deep recession will take time, hard work, and uncommon patience. But compared with the challenges faced by those who came before us, I am confident that we can change the outlook for our economy, restore growth to rural Minnesota, and make our state an even better place to live.
As your state representative, I am committed to that important work. This session I am serving on the House Agriculture and Rural Development Policy and Finance Committee. As a farmer and renewable energy developer I understand the challenges facing farming families and small businesses throughout rural Minnesota – and I am passionately committed to addressing those challenges head-on. I will also be serving on the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources Policy and Finance Committee as well as the Veterans Services Division.
The challenges ahead this session are serious, and require the work of many hands. I challenge every person to take one additional step to help improve our community and our state. Please consider volunteering your time at a school or long-term care facility. If you are a small business contemplating a new hire, I challenge you to create that job. There are still many highly talented and highly skilled Minnesotans looking for work.
Throughout the weeks and months to come, I ask that you contact me with your questions, concerns, and suggestions for legislation. Your input is crucial as the legislature makes decisions that will shape the course of our future and impact the lives of all Minnesotans.
You can reach me by phone at (651) 296-4228 or by email at rep.andrew.falk@house.mn. You can also reach me by mail at 239 State Office Building, St. Paul, MN 55155. As always, I look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you again for placing your trust in me to represent our community. It is a responsibility I take very seriously, and a privilege I am honored to have.
Andrew Falk
State Representative
District 20A
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)
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