Dear Neighbors,
With the 2014 Legislative Session less than one month away, I want to take a moment to reflect on the progress we made in 2013 and outline our priorities for the year ahead.
When lawmakers kicked off last year’s Legislative Session over one year ago, Minnesota faced a $627 million budget shortfall and owed our schools over $800 million. A decade of disinvestment in our children’s education jeopardized our ability to build the kind of highly-educated workforce needed to compete in an increasingly global economy. And far too many families’ livelihoods were threatened by a lack of access to affordable housing, healthcare, transportation, and most important, good jobs.
We’ve come a long way since then.
Minnesota ended the year with over 45,000 jobs created, lowering our unemployment rate to 4.6 percent – one of the lowest rates in the nation. We repaid all the money borrowed from our schools. And thanks to sound fiscal management by DFL majorities, Minnesota is facing a projected budget surplus of over $800 million.
Here are some of the highlights of the 2013 legislative session:
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Marriage equality for every Minnesotan.
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Making college available to immigrants through passage of the Minnesota Dream Act.
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Two year tuition freeze for undergraduates attending the University of Minnesota and MnSCU system, plus more financial aid for all college students.
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All-Day Kindergarten for every child and new preschool scholarships for low-income families.
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Greater tax fairness by eliminating corporate loopholes, increasing income taxes on the wealthiest two percent of Minnesotans, and providing direct property tax relief for homeowners and renters.
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Increased access to high-quality health care for people who could previously not afford it.
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New investments in proven job creation tools like low-interest business loans, job training programs, and financial incentives for businesses that meet job creation goals.
As the Chair of the House Legacy Committee, I had the honor of helping craft a strong Legacy bill that provides the resources needed to enrich our communities and keep our land, water, and air clean and healthy throughout Minnesota. I fought to secure funding for habitat in the metropolitan area, fighting aquatic invasive species and for land that the Fond du Lac Band will restore. While additional projects were controversial last year -- generating the line item vetoes – the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council has included them in this year’s recommendations to the legislature, assuring their passage.
With our state well positioned for more economic growth in the year ahead, we need to build on last year’s momentum in the upcoming Legislative Session, which kicks off on February 25.
Here are a few priorities I plan to focus on in 2014:
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Secure state bonding dollars to improve University of Minnesota facilities, including the Tate Lab.
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Renovate and expand the Brian Coyle Center.
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Raise Minnesota’s minimum wage to $9.50 an hour.
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Legalize medicinal marijuana.
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Legalize the agricultural crop of industrial hemp.
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Keep our air clean by adding electronic cigarettes to the regulations outlined under the Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act.
Please get in touch with me to share your legislative priorities for the upcoming Session. You can reach me by phone at (651) 296-4257, by email at rep.phyllis.kahn@house.mn, or by postal mail at 365 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.
Sincerely,
Phyllis Kahn
State Representative, District 60B
Chair, House Legacy Committee