Dear neighbor,
It has been another busy week at the Capitol. In Committees, we’ve been looking at raising the minimum wage, addressing water shortage in Minnesota and making schools safer through anti-bullying legislation. In addition, the February economic forecast was released and we now know that our state faces a $627 million budget shortfall for 2014-15.
Check out my first video update to see what we’ve been up to at the Capitol:
http://youtu.be/bqgzrt7YOjQ
For more information on some of these proposals and my upcoming town hall meetings with Congresswoman Betty McCollum and Susan Kent, please read below.
Minimum Wage
In the Select Committee on Living Wage Jobs, we’ve been exploring a minimum wage increase. Minnesota’s minimum wage of $6.15 ranks 45th in the country. We are looking at the impacts of raising the minimum wage on families, businesses and communities across the state.
Many states tie their minimum wage to inflation—meaning as the costs of goods and services go up, so do wages. If Minnesota were to adjust the minimum wage from 1979 to inflation, it would be over $10.00 today. We are working to address low-wage jobs and ways to improve the purchasing power of working families statewide.
Anti-Bullying
Did you know that Minnesota has one of the weakest anti-bullying laws in the country? At the Capitol, we’re working to replace current law with comprehensive legislation to keep our students safe—the Safe and Supportive Minnesota Schools Act. This legislation will require all Minnesota school districts to adopt policies to protect all students and provide adequate support for teachers and other adults to effectively implement policies to keep students safe.
Unfortunately, kids who are being bullied at school spend less time learning and more time worrying about what’s going to happen on the playground or on the bus. Students deserve a safe learning environment where they can grow socially and academically, and this legislation will help us achieve this goal.
Upcoming Town Hall Meetings
Please join Rep. Betty McCollum, Sen. Susan Kent, Rep. Andrea Kieffer and I for the following town hall:
Saturday, March 9th
10am to 12pm
Woodbury City Hall: 8301 Valley Creek Rd, Woodbury 55125
As we address legislative issues, please contact me directly with any questions, comments, or concerns. I can be reached by phone at (651) 296-7807 or by email at rep.joann.ward@house.mn. If you haven’t already, you can take my legislative survey online here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5GFHYSG.
Sincerely,
JoAnn Ward
State Representative
Maplewood, Woodbury, Oakdale and Landfall
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