Dear Neighbors,
Hope you all are having a Happy and Healthy New Year in this cold weather!
Thanks to all of you who have kept in touch, and have answered the door during this time between legislative sessions. Many thanks to those of you who have invited me to step inside for a moment to warm up! I have enjoyed our conversations, and also attending many community events, including visits to our local schools and businesses (as a member of the bi-partisan House Small Business Caucus).
Interim Update:
As you may know, there is a projected surplus for our state for the upcoming biennium. While there are many ideas as to how to allocate these funds, we need to be fiscally prudent and wait for the February forecast before making any decisions regarding funding or tax cuts.
The first $246 million completely paid back the money that had been shifted away from our schools. I was proud to be the author of House File 1 to pay back the school shift. That bill was enacted into law after it was incorporated into the 2013 Education Omnibus Bill. You can see text of the bill by following the link here.
Not only was paying our schools on time the right thing to do, this fiscally responsible act will pay dividends to the taxpayers of our state. The major credit rating agencies are taking note of the fiscally responsible way the legislature is now approaching our state’s budgeting, and are beginning to take steps to restore our state’s credit rating. An improved state credit rating will ensure that your hard earned taxpayer dollars are not spent on excess interest costs.
Many of you have also told me that repealing the business-to-business taxes is important to ensure that our businesses remain competitive, and are able to continue the current trend of hiring that has led our state’s unemployment rate falling below 5%. We share that priority.
I was delighted to join in the celebration at Deephaven Elementary School as they were named a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence
I have also heard from community members advocating that those who care for our elderly and disabled receive a reasonable increase in pay. Right now the turn-over rate for these Personal Care Attendants (PCA) is very high, making it difficult to ensure that our treasured senior citizens and other vulnerable adults receive the quality care they need and deserve.
As the above demonstrates, not everyone has benefited from the economic recovery, and there are still many in our community who are unemployed and underemployed. Last legislative session we enacted a number of measures to help folks find the retraining and the jobs that will enable them to continue to live in a dignified manner. I remain committed to working on ways to enable our businesses to continue to expand and provide the good paying careers our community members need and deserve.
I learned a great deal while touring Starkey’s Hearing with our local manufacturing expert University of St. Thomas professor Fred Zimmerman and other local leaders.
We have a ways to go, but we’re on the right track. Continued smart partnerships with businesses and wise investments in education will continue to entice MN employers like Price Mechanical. Ron Hanlan, Price CEO, said the company chose to expand in MN after a thorough search in the U.S and Canada. Along with an incentive of a state forgivable loan, he said, “We…settled on Minnesota due to the availability of engineering and technical workers as well as an innovative and productive workforce.” (To see the full Star Tribune article on manufacturing expansion in Minnesota (1/4/14), click here.)
As we approach the next legislative session, which is scheduled to begin February 25, please feel free to contact me with your thoughts on issues of concern. Please take care and stay warm! Below, you will find some Cold Weather Safety Tips.
As always, thank you for the honor of being your voice in St. Paul.
Best,
Yvonne
Cold Weather Safety Tips
Knowing that dangerous weather conditions will persist throughout the week, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, the Minnesota Department of Health, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation have provided the following cold weather safety tips for Minnesotans of all ages. Please click the links below for more info.
Winter Safety Checklist for Families and Children – While freezing winter temperatures keep many adults indoors, children may want to play outside. Each year, emergency rooms in the United States treat thousands of children for injuries related to cold weather. Click here for winter safety tips for children and families from the Department of Public Safety.