303 State Capitol 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. St. Paul, MN 55155 www.senate.

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Capitol UpdateFebruary 7, 2013

February 7, 2013 Highlights:

I serve on the following committees: Health, Human Services, and Housing, Education, E-12 Finance, State & Local Government My first bill was just heard in the HHSH committee, and will soon move to the floor Im also working with Reps. Lenczewski and Slocum on legislation that will benefit Bloomington and Richfield

SD50Bloomington, Richfield

Busy Days as Session Begins

The 88th Minnesota Legislature convened on January 8th, 2013. I was sworn in for my first term, along with 19 of the 67 other Senators. There is a substantial amount of new blood in the Senate, but we are all excited to get to work for our districts and Minnesota. I serve on the Health, Human Services, and Housing committee as Vice Chair, which promises to be an exciting role. Already, we have heard a bill that would expand the states Medical Assistance (MA) program to Minnesotans up to 138% of the federal poverty level. This expansion will be funded by the federal government, as part of the Affordable Care Act, and will cover 87,000 more Minnesotans while saving the state an estimated $263 million. The HHSH committee also recently heard S.F. 1, which establishes the Minnesota Insurance Exchange, and will allow Minnesotans to search for and purchase the insurance plan that best meets their medical and financial needs. Needless to say, we have had some long days in HHSH, but theyve been very rewarding, and Im confident Minnesotans will be well-served by the work weve been doing. The Education and E-12 Finance committees have been quite active as well. Most notably, we have been working on S.F. 2, which provides funding for voluntary all-day Kindergarten. This represents a very positive move for education in Minnesota, and Im excited that we are truly demonstrating our desire to invest in Minnesotas earliest learners. The State and Local Govern-

How to contact me at the Capitol: Phone: 651-297-8061 E-mail: sen.melissa.wiklund @senate.mn

Senator Wiklund confers with Sens. Kathy Sheran (DFL-Mankato) and John Hoffman (DFL-Champlin). Sen. Sheran chairs the Health, Human Services, and Housing committee, on which Sens. Wiklund and Hoffman both serve. ment committee recently voted to adopt contracts for our state employees. We have also approved important appointments to the Met Council, and other state boards.

Rep. Linda Slocum (50A): 651-296-7158 rep.linda.slocum @house.mn Rep. Ann Lenczewski (50B): 651-296-4218 rep.ann.lenczewski @house.mn

Budget Discussions Continue

On January 22nd, Governor Dayton released his budget proposal and it has sparked a great deal of discussioninside and outside of the Capitol. The Senate and the House will likely have their own budget ideas that will be worked out with the Governor. I am pleased that the Governors budget includes strong investments in education, and property tax relief, though I still have some questions about certain tax proposals. The budget will likely be a work in progress until the end of the session, but I am confident that the final product will be one that makes crucial investments in the priorities that we have, while also making wise use of taxpayer resources. Stay in touch! My contact information, and the information for the House members from our district is on the left, please feel free to contact my office with any questions, comments, or concerns you might have. I work for you, and the more I hear from you, the better I can do so!

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Capitol UpdateFebruary 7, 2013

Around the District

Each of these [Celebration] schools has demonstrated significant progress in their efforts to increase student achievement, and are well deserving of this recognition. -Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius
Two schools in District 50 were recently named Celebration Schools by the Minnesota Department of Education: Washburn Elementary and Beacon Preparatory, both in Bloomington The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) recently awarded $200,000 grant through the Dislocated Worker program to Best Buy in Richfield, which will assist laid off workers in job search planning, finding transitional health insurance coverage, and skills training This week I met with constituents representing CPAs, nurses, firefighters, Teamsters, Minnesota School of BusinessRichfield, and Microsoft For the first time in six years, Richfield Public Schools saw a net gain in enrollment for the 2012-13 school year The Bloomington Civic Theaters production of Cabaret runs through February 17th Bloomington Public Schools have been awarded a 2013 Environmental Fellowship Award by the Freshwater Society and Fortin Consulting Minnesota History: On February 7th, 1851, the Minnesota territorial legislature voted to make St. Paul the capitol, and to put the prison in Stillwater

Governor Dayton Delivers State of the State

I was honored to escort Governor Dayton into the Minnesota House Chamber to deliver his State of the State address on February 6th. I share many of the Governors priorities: a strong and growing middle class, a stable and fairly balanced budget, and an education system that will allow all Minnesota children to reach their full potential. As the Governor rightly said, the status quo is simply not the way to move Minnesota forward. Gov. Dayton also made a strong statement in favor of early childhood education and all-day Kindergarten. In addition, the Governor pointed out that nearly every expert says that the quality and affordability of high education is key to our future economic success. There is no better investment in our future than education, and I applaud the Governors commitment. Gov. Dayton gave a hopeful message and challenged the legislatureand all Minnesotansto work with him to create a better Minnesota. I am eager to work with Gov. Dayton and other legislators to put Minnesota on a firm footing for the future.

Looking Ahead...
In the coming weeks, Ill be meeting with Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, representatives from local businesses, including David Fongs, the I-494 Corridor Commission about transportation issues in the district, Ill be beginning work with other Senators and the Director of the Office of Early Learning on early childhood education, and continuing discussions with constituents about how I can best serve Bloomington and Richfield. Im excited to continue working for you, and I hope youll stop by the Capitol and say Hi!. Otherwise, Ill see you around town!