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State Representative Tara Mack
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-5506
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E-mail update
Jobs, business climate, budget are focus at Capitol
Hello from St. Paul!
A new session has begun at the state Capitol and the legislators in the House of representative are not wasting any time getting to work.
In the first week of session, the House of Representatives is set to help people get back to work, drive small businesses and bring stability to our budget. It was a refreshing start to our session, really delivering the message that we received the message sent by Minnesotans and we are committed to supporting their priorities.
The first bill is designed to make the permitting process for our small businesses more efficient. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, but lengthy turnaround times in our permitting process have discouraged some of our entrepreneurs. That has put us at a significant disadvantage compared with surrounding states and that’s something we can’t afford in today’s economy.
The new legislation speeds up the processing time for permits through a 150-day goal for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The bill also satisfies environmental concerns by adopting MPCA standards for air, water and hazardous waste that are more stringent than any similar federal standard.
The second bill turns our state budget upside down, bringing common sense and accountability to the process. The concept is simple: first find out how much money we have, and then disperse funding according to our priorities. That’s how our small businesses and families function and our government needs to adopt this same principle.
Minnesota’s recurring budget shortfalls largely stem from an inability to live within our means. Government spending has risen by approximately 140 percent since the mid-90s and our tax base is unable to support that kind of growth. I look forward to continued work on these and other issues throughout the session; these are challenging – yet, exciting – times. I will be spending much of my time the next couple of months serving in committees, which include: Health and Human Services Reform, Health and Human Services Finance, Rules and Legislative Administration, and Taxes.
Please stay in touch with me along the way. You can reach me by e-mailing rep.tara.mack@house.mn, or by calling (651) 296-5506.
Sincerely,
Tara
News Items
- April 6 Legislative Update - (Posted: 2012-04-06 00:00:00)
- March 30 Legislative Update - (Posted: 2012-03-30 00:00:00)
- March 23 Legislative Update - (Posted: 2012-03-23 00:00:00)
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