Dear Neighbors,
I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a Happy New Year. The holiday season is special for so many reasons, including good opportunities to spend time with loved ones, to look back on the year that is almost over, and to look ahead toward what we hope to accomplish in 2020. I hope that your holiday season will be full of joy with family and friends, and that if your celebrations take you away from home, your travels will be safe.
The 2020 legislative session is just around the corner, scheduled to convene on February 11. Earlier this month, state budget officials released the November Economic Forecast, which projects a positive budget balance for the current biennium. It also showed that our budget reserve (rainy day fund) is now funded at the amount targeted within law. These are positive indicators for our economic health, but there are a number of reasons to be cautious. Our streak of economic growth is projected to slow down, and continued global trade imbalance and tariffs cause continued uncertainty. I know many of our farmers are struggling, and trade tensions have paired with unfavorable weather conditions to create a difficult 2019.
These challenges could undermine our ability to fund the priorities we value, like schools and health care. That’s why it’s important to continue investments in what has made Minnesota so successful to start with: our people. I’m committed to delivering world-class schools, accessible, affordable health care, public infrastructure which strengthens communities, and the opportunity for every family to prosper.
I’ll also continue my push to make sure home care workers can receive the pay they deserve. They are dedicated people who perform difficult work enabling seniors and people with disabilities to live with dignity, and it’s unconscionable many of them earn poverty wages. Earlier this year I authored an op-ed in the Star Tribune about the need to pay home care workers fairly.
Lawmakers will also consider improvements to public assets across the state requested by local officials such as higher education institutions, roads and bridges, parks and trails, wastewater treatment systems, and more. In our region, I’ll be advocating for investments in Mankato’s water quality mitigation project, the Valley Opportunities initiative (improvements along the Minnesota River, Minnesota River Trail and Riverfront Park in Mankato), replacement of MSU’s Armstrong Hall, the second phase of renovations at the St. Peter Regional Treatment Center, and a new air traffic control tower at the Mankato Regional Airport. With interest rates remaining low and so many demonstrated needs across the state, we should come together to enact a robust package of public infrastructure investments to create good jobs and build a better future.
As chair of the House Corrections Division, I’ll continue to work to improve outcomes within our state’s prisons and jails. Recognizing that most of those incarcerated will one day return to the community, substance abuse treatment, mental health support, and educational programming need to be strengthened. I also continue to hear from corrections officers sharing safety concerns, and while the Legislature made a long-term investment in new staffing this past session, we need to do more to ensure everyone can come home safe at the end of the day.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to represent you in Saint Paul, and deeply value the engagement I have with members of the community. In the New Year, I hope you’ll continue to keep in touch with your input and ideas. It’s an honor to serve.
Sincerely,
Jack Considine
State Representative