January Constituent Update

January 16, 2012| Posted in Front Page Slideshow, Paul's Viewpoint, Uncategorized

Dear Friends:

I hope the New Year is treating you well. The 2012 legislative session is rapidly approaching. We convene on January 24.

Doing all we can to get people back to work and into long-term careers is my top priority this legislative session. With 175,000 Minnesotans out of work and middle class families struggling to make ends meet – job creation is the priority Minnesotans should expect and demand of us. Of course, government cannot and should not do this alone, but we must be solid partners with the private sector to get this work done.

To that end, Democrats in the Legislature and Governor Dayton unveiled a package of proposals designed to get Minnesota back to work. You can find a copy of he Jobs Ideas here. This jobs plan is a collection of good ideas to do a great thing: create jobs for Minnesotans eager to work hard, support their family, and live the American Dream. For the small business poised to start hiring but needs an extra boost, this plan will create jobs. For the worker striving for a new career, this plan will help them get retrained. And for the Main Street business struggling to compete with online competitors, this plan will level the playing field.

I am hopeful that we will work productively and bipartisanly on job creation this legislative session. I am similarly hopeful that this session will not see a continuation of last year’s priorities which I opposed such as divisive social issues and constitutional amendments that seek to disenfranchise voters, impede tax fairness, and undermine collective bargaining.

Most important, I’d like to hear from you. What are your priorities for the upcoming legislative session? Please take a moment to respond to our survey questions by clicking on the following link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RDYPCMC

I would also like to invite you to attend a Town Hall meeting I’m holding with Senator Ken Kelash and Representative Linda Slocum. Join us on Saturday, January 21 from 2:30 to 4:00 PM at Woodlake Lutheran Church, 7525 Oliver Ave S, Minneapolis. I hope to see you there.

While I’m eager to look forward to the year ahead, it is also important to review the accomplishments of the previous year. Governor Dayton was able to start us down the path of building a better Minnesota. See the attached document for an overview of Governor Dayton’s first year.

Other items of interest:

Minnesota was awarded a $45 million Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge grant. The grant will enable the state to implement best practices in early childhood education that will ensure Minnesota’s youngest learners enter school prepared to succeed. The grant will focus first on four communities in White Earth, Itasca County, St. Paul’s Promise Neighborhood, and Minneapolis’ Northside Achievement Zone. The Northside Achievement Zone was also awarded a five-year $28 million implementation grant from the U.S. Department of Education for its Promise Neighborhood program. http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Welcome/News/PressRel/040135

The Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources has issued its 2012-2013 Request for Proposals for funding from Minnesota’s Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. Proposals are due April 6. Visit http://www.lccmr.leg.mn/ and click on “2012-2013 Request for Proposalâ€? to learn more.

A number of new laws went into effect January 1. Read about them here: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hinfo/0112nlrelease.pdf

Keep yourself informed about the activities of the Minnesota House of Representatives. The House provides personalized bill tracking and the nonpartisan office of House Public Information provides a variety of electronic and print news services including meeting schedules and weekly newsletters. You can subscribe here: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/leg/billsublogin.asp and here: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hinfo/subscribesw.asp#bymail

As always, please continue to be in touch with your comments, questions, and concerns. You can reach me by phone at 651-296-5375, by email at rep.paul.thissen@house.mn, or you can visit or send mail to my office, 267 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, Minnesota 55155. I appreciate hearing from you.

Paul Thissen
State Representative
Minority Leader
District 63A