Tag: Minnesota

One Year of One Minnesota

This week marked one year since Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan took office. From meeting with Minnesotans at nearly 600 events in more than 100 communities across the state to passing a budget that invests in our schools, protects access to health care, and lifts up local communities, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor have governed with One Minnesota at the heart of everything they do.

Below are some of their key accomplishments from the last year:

Building One Minnesota: To ensure all voices are included at the Minnesota State Capitol, Governor Walz and Lt. Governor Flanagan have visited more than 100 towns in every corner of Minnesota and participated in nearly 600 events since they were elected. In one of the only divided governments in the country, Governor Walz worked across party lines with legislative leaders last session to pass a budget that improves the lives of Minnesotans. This was the first time in more than 40 years that a legislative budget passed without a single vetofrom the Governor, and the first time in over a decade that a Governor has reached a bipartisan biennial budget deal with the Minnesota State Legislature on time. Continue reading “One Year of One Minnesota”

Minnesota state and federal officials are teaming up to close a big gap in laws meant to protect victims of domestic violence

The Minnesota secretary of state’s office is known for elections. Voter registration. Election security.

Less well known is another function administered by the office: The Safe at Home program, an address confidentiality program created in 2007 for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking. When someone is enrolled, the program assigns those who enroll a P.O. box that they can use as their legal address.

While 37 other states have established similar address confidentiality programs, some federal agencies refuse to acknowledge Safe at Home P.O. boxes. That inconsistency prompted Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon to work with Rep. Betty McCollum, of Minnesota’s Fourth District, to create a federal Safe at Home Act, a bipartisan bill and joint effort with officials in Missouri that would standardize how federal agencies deal with Safe at Home mailboxes.

View the complete October 23 article by Gabe Schneider on the MinnPost website here.

Trump reelection campaign hiring in Minnesota, New Mexico

The Hill logoPresident Trump’s reelection campaign says it is hiring staff and opening field offices in Minnesota and New Mexico, two traditionally blue states the president’s strategists have identified as having potential to flip in 2020.

Still, the Trump campaign believes that both states are in play this time around.

On a conference call with reporters, a senior official said the campaign is working on a “huge buildout” of paid staffers and a volunteer network in Minnesota that will dwarf their 2016 efforts there.

View the complete October 15 article by Jonathan Easley on The Hill website here.

Trump Is Serious About Carrying Minnesota, the One That Got Away in 2016

New York Times logoWASHINGTON — A Republican presidential candidate has not won the state of Minnesota since Richard M. Nixon’s victory there in 1972. But President Trump has long viewed it as the one that got away.

Mr. Trump barely set foot in the state during his 2016 campaign, and his field organization on the ground was nonexistent: The lone Trump campaign staff member working the state was moved to Colorado before Election Day. But Mr. Trump lost Minnesota to his former rival Hillary Clinton by 1.5 percentage points, or less than 45,000 votes.

“We almost won it,” Mr. Trump said during a visit this year to a trucking company in a Minneapolis suburb. The difference between a victory and a loss, he said, would have been coming to the state to give “one more speech.”

View the complete October 9 article by Annie Karni and Maggie Haberman on The New York Times website here.

Governor Walz working to help Minnesotans breathe easier

While the White House and GOP continue to force an American backslide on climate change, Governor Walz is taking initiative to make Minnesota a climate-conscious state. Walz has directed the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to implement clean car standards, modeled after standards already in place in 14 other states. The initiative, Clean Cars Minnesota, may reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by two million tons by 2030. This change will allow Minnesotans access to more options in vehicles with better fuel-economy, boost the state’s economy, combat climate change, and improve air quality.

Clean Cars Minnesota will also save Minnesotans money at the pump, an estimated total of $320 million a year by 2030. Other states that adhere to clean car standards have saved drivers $88 billion dollars. The new set of standards will also allow manufacturers to offer a wider selection of fuel-efficient vehicles, unleashing a new market of new and used car choices for consumers. As another added bonus, the program will make an impact towards reducing Minnesota’s reliance on foreign oil.  Continue reading “Governor Walz working to help Minnesotans breathe easier”

Phillips Says Education Key to Combat Aquatic Invasive Species

Spring and summer in Minnesota means boating, and lots of it. And with boating comes talk about aquatic invasive species contaminating our lakes.

“Everything from mussels to every kind of weed that you can think of is fouling our lakes,” says Three Rivers Park District’s John Gunyou. “It’s something that we have to be concerned about.”

That’s why U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Third District, hosted a roundtable discussion on Monday. He talked with experts about what the problem is and what to do about it. One takeaway for Phillips? Education.

View the complete June 18 article on the CCX Media website here.

HHS Conference Committee Co-Chair Liebling announces first public hearing Friday morning

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — The joint House/Senate Conference Committee tasked with developing a compromise state Health and Human Services budget will meet for the first time Friday morning at 9 a.m. in Room 1200 of the Minnesota Senate Building. The committee meeting, to be chaired by Rep. Tina Libeling (DFL – Rochester), will include an overview of each chamber’s version of the legislation and will review the funding differences. Officials from the Department of Human Services and Department of Health will on hand to provide testimony.

WHAT: First Meeting of the House/Senate Conference Committee on the Health and Human Services Budget, HF 2414

WHO: Rep. Tina Liebling (DFL – Rochester), committee members

WHERE: Room 1200, Minnesota Senate Building, 95 University Ave W, Saint Paul

WHEN: 9 a.m., Friday, May 3 Continue reading “HHS Conference Committee Co-Chair Liebling announces first public hearing Friday morning”

House Transportation Committee Advances ‘Hands-Free’ Device Bill

ST. PAUL, MN – The House Transportation Policy & Finance Committee today held a public hearing about the ‘hands-free’ cell phone bill, HF 50, which aims to increase safety for drivers, passengers, bicyclists and pedestrians on Minnesota’s roads by requiring drivers to use their cell phones in a hands-free mode. Safety experts, advocates and family members of loved ones who were killed in distracted driving crashes provided public testimony about the proposal, which has strong bipartisan support. The bill passed out of committee.

Greg LaVallee, a distracted driving speaker for Just Drive, Inc. spoke at the committee on Tuesday. His son, Phil, was killed by a distracted driver while he was out for a run.

“The complacent attitude of our society towards cell phone use while driving is claiming 9 lives per day in the U.S.”, said Mr. LaVallee. “This is outrageous! Hands-Free legislation will help enforce the current texting ban and it is a step in the right direction to prevent crashes and save lives.” Continue reading “House Transportation Committee Advances ‘Hands-Free’ Device Bill”