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State Representative Leon Lillie
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-1188
For more information contact: Ted Modrich 651-296-5809
NEWS COLUMN
2012 LEGISLATIVE SESSION PREVIEW
The 2012 Legislative Session is underway. Like most of you, I was incredibly disappointed and frustrated by last year’s government shutdown and eventual budget that led to more borrowing from our children and the use of tobacco bonds. Also like you, I’m hoping for a short session, focused on jobs and the economy, with a renewed sense of cooperation, collaboration, and bipartisanship.
While we’ve certainly seen economic improvement in recent months, more than 150,000 Minnesotans remain out of work. There is a lot we can do to spark job creation and we shouldn’t wait to do it. We need to bring good ideas together and work proactively to strengthen Minnesota’s economic recovery.
Governor Dayton and DFL legislators recently announced a jobs plan for the 2012 session. The plan contains tax credits for businesses that hire unemployed Minnesotans, veterans, or graduates in the next year, a $775 million bonding bill, additional funding for the Minnesota Investment Fund, which has a track record of helping Minnesota to attract businesses to locate or expand here; expanding training to fill Minnesota’s skills gap, and internet sales tax fairness, which would put local retailers on a more even playing field with online retailers like Amazon.
It’s time to put politics aside and work together to pass a meaningful jobs bill for Minnesota. Jobs are what Minnesotans care about – rather than divisive constitutional amendments — and they’re what we should care about.
A targeted, robust bonding bill should also be part of the job growth equation.
Investing in Minnesota’s infrastructure is an essential part of sustaining and enhancing our economic recovery. Bonding helps small businesses and communities grow by building the long-term infrastructure needed to help businesses be successful in the future. An early bonding bill is a good deal for Minnesota taxpayers. By getting projects in the pipeline early, we can take advantage of low interest rates, competitive bids, and get thousands of unemployed back on the job for the spring construction season.
Governor Dayton recently unveiled his bonding bill proposal and it included projects of interest to our area. The governor recommended funding for the City of Maplewood to purchase and improve the former St. Paul Monastery to provide housing and support programs for individuals and families in crisis as a Harriet Tubman Center East facility. The Harriet Tubman Center has done fantastic work for families and individuals in our community for years, and this expansion would only continue that great work.
The governor also included funding for a Century College Classroom Addition. This money would be to design and construct a classroom addition with six technology-enhanced classrooms, and renovate lab space for energy technician programs. Improving our education system is absolutely essential to long-term economic success, and this expansion would help students complete their course work more quickly and provide them with greater opportunities.
I will continue to push for bonding projects that will help our community and encourage long-term economic growth and prosperity.
Overall, I remain committed to priorities that build a strong middle class. When the middle class is successful, Minnesota will be successful. Thank you again for the honor of serving you in the state legislature.
As session moves along, please feel free to contact me with your questions, suggestions and concerns. My office is room 281 in the State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-1188 and by email at rep.leon.lillie@house.mn. You can also monitor activities at the House, track bills, watch live video and sign up for my email update list by going to http://house.mn.
Leon Lillie
State Representative
District 55A
News Items
- SUPPORTING RESPONSIBLE HOMEOWNERS AND STABILIZING NEIGHBORHOODS - (Posted: 2012-03-01 00:00:00)
- Email Update -- Feb. 16, 2012 - (Posted: 2012-02-16 00:00:00)
- 2012 LEGISLATIVE SESSION PREVIEW - (Posted: 2012-01-26 00:00:00)
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