State Representative
Rich Stanek

(ST. PAUL) State Representative Rich Stanek (R-Maple Grove) has announced he will seek a fourth term in the Minnesota House of Representatives. In March, Rep. Stanek was unanimously endorsed by District 33 Republicans.

"I am very proud of what we've accomplished especially since gaining the majority in 1998," said Rep. Stanek. "Record tax relief, tough new crime initiatives, a renewed emphasis in highways and a record investment in schools all made this a great session for residents of Maple Grove and Plymouth. The future looks bright for our corner of Minnesota."

Rep. Stanek said that the change which will impact the most Minnesotans is the record amount of tax relief passed over the last two years, including...

 Two consecutive years of permanent, across-the-board income tax cuts the largest tax cuts in state history.  Two straight years of sales tax rebates. More than $2 billion will be returned to taxpayers in the sales tax rebates of 1999 and 2000. The 2000 rebate checks should be mailed by Labor Day.  Significant tax relief for motorists. In 1999, Rep. Stanek helped end the ineffective auto emissions test, along with its annual fee. This year's tax relief package contained a $150 million cut in vehicle tab fees, which will lower the average annual cost of license tabs by about one-third.

"Since 1998, we've cut the tax burden on the average Minnesota family by 15 percent," Rep. Stanek said. "No state in the country has done more for taxpayers in two years than Minnesota."

A 16-year police veteran and captain in the Minneapolis Police Department, Rep. Stanek is widely recognized as a legislative leader on crime prevention issues. As Chairman of the Crime Prevention Committee, Stanek was very active this session, working on re-codification of the

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Rep. Stanek

state's DWI laws and Katie's Law legislation named for Katie Poirier to tighten sex offender laws with lifetime registration requirements, stronger penalties and a statewide computerized criminal tracking network. Katie's Law unanimously passed the House of Representatives and was signed into law by Governor Ventura.

A 14-year resident of the Maple Grove area, Rep. Stanek recognizes the increased infrastructure needs of the rapidly expanding northwest suburbs. This year he helped provide funding in this year's $596 million transportation package for an additional lane on I-694 from Hemlock to Brooklyn Boulevard. He also worked with the Metropolitan Council to secure $5.5 million for a park-and-ride station in the Arbor Lakes area of Maple Grove.

In addition to tax cuts, Rep. Stanek made a two-year commitment to fund K-12 education. In 1999, the legislature passed the largest increase to the per-student funding formula in nearly 10 years, which gave local school districts more control over how the money is spent. This year Rep. Stanek voted for a $172 million supplemental K-12 education bill that will provide school districts additional funding for special education, teacher training and technology needs. Robbinsdale School District 281 will receive about $2.7 million in new revenue as a result of this legislation, and Osseo School District 279 will receive $3.4 million.

"It has been a privilege to serve Maple Grove and Plymouth in the state legislature," Rep. Stanek said. "I look forward to continuing that service for two more years."

Rich Stanek and his wife Sally live in Maple Grove with their two children. Active in community service, Stanek founded Cops Care (now the Police Athletic League) to recruit police officers to work with at-risk inner city youth through sports. He is a member of the Maple Grove Lions, Optimists and Jaycees clubs and regularly speaks to DARE graduates and other youth programs.

For more information about Rep. Stanek, visit his website at www.reprichstanek.com. The site features links to legislation introduced by Rep. Stanek, as well as his recent press releases, photographs, campaign-related information and much more.

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