Dear Neighbors,
As we reach the mid-point of the 2014 MN legislative session, I wanted to provide you with an update.
Minnesota unfortunately still has a gender gap among its entrepreneurs. On average, women entrepreneurs in Minnesota in 2014 are making .80 for every $1.00 their male counterparts make. This is simply not acceptable. I authored legislation that funds a pilot program to provide support for women entrepreneurs as they work to start or expand businesses in high revenue- generating areas such as IT and finance. My bill is part of the Women’s Economic Security Act, which passed in the House, and will assist women in accessing and keeping good paying careers.
Women make up a large number of low wage earners in MN, which influenced my vote for the tiered, compromise minimum wage bill that came forward. This legislation provides for a youth and training wage at $7.75, and over the next several years rolls in wage increases until we reach $7.75 for small businesses and $9.50 for large businesses. There is a capped (2.5%) index for inflation, but this is reviewed annually by the MN Commissioner of Labor and Industry to ensure that economic conditions support indexing for the coming year.
Minnesota has a budget surplus for the first time in nearly a decade. I have heard from many of you that we need to grow our MN budget reserves, and we are adding $150 million dollars to that fund, with an additional $31 million dedicated to budget stability.
We also have enacted tax cuts for more than one million Minnesotans while repealing business-to-business taxes, and are also making critical investments for our seniors and our school children. My bill to ensure all children in our schools receive a healthy lunch no matter their parents’ ability to pay passed unanimously in the House. I appreciate the positive feedback I’ve received on this.
As session continues, please don’t hesitate to contact me anytime. Your input helps me to better represent our community at the Capitol. I look forward to hearing from you.
As always, thank you for the honor of representing you in St. Paul.
Best,
Yvonne Selcer
State Representative
(Pictured: Speaking with a group of local students visiting the Capitol in March)