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State Representative Debra Kiel
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-5091
For more information contact: House GOP Communications 651-296-5520
SESSION UPDATE
News From Representative Kiel
Friends –
We are working hard this week at the Legislature. With only 4 weeks to go until the end of session we are meeting in policy committees most of the day as well as taking up bills on the House floor.
This week the House and Senate announced that a marriage amendment bill is being introduced. An amendment to the Minnesota Constitution would be proposed to the people of Minnesota and the proposed amendment must be submitted to the people at the 2012 general election and the question on the ballot would be: "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to provide that only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Minnesota?” I will keep you informed of this issue as we move forward. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact my office.
This session we passed education improvements that will give our schools and students the tools they need to succeed. House Republicans passed school choice reform, giving students in chronically low-performing schools a chance for a quality education. An additional review of the integration aid program found money being wasted on kindness retreats, six-step hip-hop program, art consultants and jobs such as “equity coach” and “newcomers teacher”, paying upwards of $100,000. We eliminated this wasteful program saved more than $100 million to help refocus education efforts on basic per-pupil funding that benefits students throughout the state.
While serving on the Transportation Committee I also was involved in the decision to discontinue the expansion of the light-rail. We need more transparency when it comes to transit spending. We need to know how much it is going to cost and how much it will cost to operate as well as many other questions that need to be answered before we begin construction. Much of this construction affects businesses and neighborhoods for an extended period of time.
Funding our priorities is a must. We can’t afford to continue funding projects that are inefficient or do not give us a good return on our investment. It is our hope that through the conference committees, issues will be resolved and final bills will be put before the Governor for his signature soon.
I enjoyed traveling the district last week hosting town halls. It was great to see many of you come and participate in the town halls. If you were unable to make it please feel free to send me an email at rep.debra.kiel@house.mn or call my office at (651) 296-5091.
As always I am happy to help and if anyone would like to make an appointment to see me please don’t hesitate to call my office and schedule an appointment with my assistant Stacey.
Thank you,
Deb
News Items
- Rural families’ budgets will be tighter under the 2013 state budget - (Posted: May 24 2013 1:48PM)
- WHAT CHILDCARE PROVIDER UNIONIZATION MEANS FOR YOUR FAMILY - (Posted: May 24 2013 10:15AM)
- REP. KIEL: RURAL FAMILIES WILL PAY MORE FOR ELECTRICITY UNDER DEMS’ PLAN - (Posted: May 8 2013 12:45PM)
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