Tag: SD48

Week of February 25th – March 1st

Exercising Responsible Budgeting

The February Economic Forecast was delivered this past Thursday. While we still have an over $1 billion positive balance in the short term, it also projects a structural deficit of $11 million in the upcoming years.

This presents an important opportunity to look at where state spending is needed most. Our schools are chronically underfunded, and given the recent forecast, this session needs to be about strengthening our schools for years to come.

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Continue reading “Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: March 1, 2019”

Week of February 18th – 22nd

Building a more educated citizenry

On Monday I presented my bill for a requirement for high school students to take a Civics class to graduate. It is of utmost importance that our children are taught about civic virtue and political efficacy. An informed citizenry is vital to the continued success of our state, and is also required by Article 13 of the state constitution:

“The stability of a republican form of government depending mainly upon the intelligence of the people, it is the duty of the legislature to establish a general and uniform system of public schools.”

Thank you to Eden Prairie High School students Kendra Fischer and Sydney Lewis for testifying in support of this legislation.

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Continue reading “Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: February 22, 2019”

Legislating and teaching have a key similarity to State Sen. Steve Cwodzinski: It took three years of each for him to settle into the role.

“It’s like drinking out of a firehose,” Cwodzinski said of his first year in office. Now, as he enters his third year in office, he introduced the first bill of the session on the State Senate floor that would require a financial literacy class for all high schoolers in Minnesota.

Cwodzinski answered the following questions from Eden Prairie News on Feb. 1 (some responses have been edited for length and clarity):

View the complete February 7 article by Eden Teller on The Eden Prairie News website here.

Week of February 4 through 8

Educating our kids about their finances

I was excited this week to present my bill on personal finance education. Financial literacy is a critical skill to have. Young people need to have an understanding of student debt, home ownership, and savings. The bill would require that all high school students take a course in personal finance, and I am hopeful that this will see widespread support.

I would like to thank Yonah Davis, Sally Adams, and Jason Kley for their testimonies in front of the E-12 finance and policy committee this week. They have given extremely helpful input in the creation of this bill. Educators, students, and the business community all support this legislation.

Tuesday was CPA day on the hill, and I got to meet with some constituents in this field. We ended up talking about the personal finance education bill, and I could not be happier to learn of their support as well.

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Continue reading “Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: February 8, 2019”

Polar vortex slows down legislation

In light of the recent weather conditions, it has been a fairly slow week at the State Capitol. I hope you all stayed safe during the freezing temperatures.

Because of the cold, one of my bill hearings has been delayed until next week. This coming Monday, February 4th, I will be presenting a bill to require that all Minnesota high school students take a course on personal financial literacy. I am hoping for this to earn bipartisan support in the Senate Education Committee, which will be meeting at 3pm that Monday.

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Catching up with a former student

One of the highlights of my week included catching up with Pete Knaeble, a former student who is now a firefighter with the city of Edina. He has also recently been appointed as the administrator of Minnesota’s emergency response unit, Task Force 1. We talked about public service, and the role of 911. As he put it: you call them when you have a problem you cannot solve. I could not be more proud of the work he is doing.  Continue reading “Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: February 1, 2019”

My first podcast appearance, a conversation with Eden Prairie City Manager Rick Getschow

I was invited to speak with Eden Prairie City Manager Rick Getschow on his podcast. We had a fulfilling discussion regarding the highlights of my teaching career and what led to my career as a state senator as well as the responsibilities I hold as one. It ended up being a intuitive and compelling discussion. Thank you to Rick for having me. Lots of introspective questions which led to some interesting self-reflection. You can listen to it by clicking HERE.

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Preventing Opioid Addiction

Last Saturday I attended a breakfast hosted by the Chris Wivholm Foundation for opioid abuse prevention. Thank you to one of my constituents, Elina Curran, for organizing this event.

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Cwod’s Book Nook

I’m always interested in what people are reading and I love talking about books.

I have been encouraging my colleagues to check out When Republicans Were Progressive, by Minnesota’s own Former Senator Dave Durenberger and Star Tribune columnist Lori Sturdevant. It’s about working across party lines for the betterment of our country, and is an inspiring read.

What books are you reading for pleasure?

 

Continue reading “Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: January 25, 2019”

Week of January 14th – 18th

Legislative Preview on AM 950

I had the opportunity to speak with Brett Johnson from AM 950 on his radio show. It was a gratifying and insightful discussion about the responsibilities I have as a state senator and what to expect form the upcoming legislative session. I was also able to answer questions from those who called in. Thanks to Brett for having me. You can listen to our conversation by clicking HERE.

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Catching up with former students

While at Eden Prairie High School, I got to see my former student Aubrey Sebastian, who is now attending the University of Minnesota and working as an undergraduate researcher. Continue reading “Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: January 18, 2019”

Week of January 7^th – 11^th

Kicking off 2019 with constituent engagement

Last weekend, Representative Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn, Representative Laurie Pryor, and myself got together with our shared constituents to host a town hall meeting. It was a great way to start the year.

Our discussion included nearly two dozen topics, which are listed below. Continue reading “Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: January 11, 2019”