Slawik: Time to Put Politics Aside, Pass Jobs Bill

With the holidays behind us, we’re rapidly approaching the start of the 2012 Minnesota Legislative Session—scheduled to begin on Jan. 24.

After last year’s difficult, contentious session that resulted in a government shutdown and an eventual agreement that included the irresponsible expansion of the K-12 shift, and borrowing through the sale of tobacco bonds—and the huge interest due on those bonds—I’m hoping for a renewed sense of bipartisanship, cooperation and collaboration.

If the November forecast of an $876 million surplus—the result of the 2009 budget, increased tax collections from improved job growth and wages and savings from health care reforms—holds up through the February forecast, the Legislature can focus on policy reforms and bonding, rather than emergency budgeting.

Traditionally, the primary focus of each even-year legislative session is prioritizing capital investment projects—more commonly known as bonding. These projects can include construction and repairs of roads and bridges, flood mitigation, buildings on college campuses, waste water treatment plants, parks and trails, among others.

Investing in Minnesota’s infrastructure is an essential part of sustaining and enhancing our economic recovery. Bonding helps small businesses and communities grow by building the long-term infrastructure needed to help businesses be successful in the future and put construction workers back on the job.

While bonding and policy reforms should be a major focus of this session, growing jobs and improving the economy must be our No. 1 priority. Gov. Mark Dayton and DFL legislators recently announced a jobs plan for the 2012 session.

The plan contains tax credits for businesses that hire unemployed Minnesotans, veterans or graduates in the next year, a $775 million bonding bill, additional funding for the Minnesota Investment Fund, which has a track record of helping Minnesota to attract businesses to locate or expand here, expanding training to fill Minnesota’s skills gap and Internet sales tax fairness, which would put local retailers on a more even playing field with online retailers like Amazon. More information on the jobs plan can be found here.

It’s time to put politics aside and work together to pass a meaningful jobs bill for Minnesota. Jobs are what Minnesotans care about, and it’s what we should care about. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle on these ideas and others to strengthen our economic recovery.

Other issues likely to come up during session include property tax reform and a new Vikings stadium.

I will be introducing a number of bills this session. One bill I’m authoring would allow people to support organ donation through car license plates. For a small $10 fee, people could purchase the special license plates, and a $30 donation will be made to an organ donation account that will be administered by the Commissioner of Public Safety. The idea for this bill came from constituents. I’m happy and proud to be carrying a bill to support organ donation.

Another project I’ve continually supported for our veterans is the Oakdale Veterans Memorial. The proposed memorial would be placed next to , and would honor members from all branches of the military and provide visitors with a place of quiet solitude and reflection. At this point the project has been funded solely through private donations. I’m proud to be the chief author of the bill to provide the project with state bonding money, and while we haven’t been successful in obtaining the funding yet, I will continue to work for it during the next session.

I’m also authoring a bill that would allow music therapists to obtain licensure, and a bill with Sen. Katie Sieben to continue funding the East Metro Perfluorochemicals (PFCs) Biomonitoring Project.

Finally, I will be participating in a town hall meeting on Jan. 28, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. at the Maplewood City Council Chambers. Rep. Leon Lillie, Sen. Chuck Wiger, Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt and Congresswoman Betty McCollum will also be attending. I encourage you to attend and offer your input state and local issues.

Thank you again for the honor of continuing to serve you in the legislature. Please feel free to contact me if I can ever be of assistance to you.

Nora Slawik
State Representative
District 55B
(651) 296-7807
rep.nora.slawik@house.mn