We’ve wrapped up another busy week at the Capitol. We have been spending most of our time on the floor passing bills or in conference committees working through differences in bills passed by the House and Senate.
State of the State
Governor Dayton delivered his State of the State Address this week. It was great to hear from the Governor and hear his thoughts on the progress we’ve made and the work that still needs to be done. We’ve accomplished a lot in the last two years, including enacting all-day K, funding early childhood scholarships, instituting a college tuition freeze, and creating important job creation measures. This year, we passed tax cuts for more than one-million middle-class Minnesotans and repealed business to business taxes, among many other provisions.
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I’ll continue working as your voice at the State Capitol to build on Minnesota’s progress and economic momentum to ensure a brighter future for our great state.
Help America Vote Act
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This week, Governor Dayton signed a bill I chief authored extending the deadline for local governments to purchase voting equipment with funds from the Help American Vote Act. The bill passed both the House and Senate unanimously.
The Help America Vote Act (HAVA), which was passed by Congress in 2002, calls on local election officials to implement electoral administrative reforms, including improved voting technology. For years, the federal government has funded these efforts and the Minnesota Legislature has appropriated federal dollars to the Secretary of State for grants to counties to purchase optical scan voting equipment.
The new law simply extends the deadline for counties to purchase voting equipment. Some counties need additional time to purchase voting equipment that better meets local electoral needs, and this extension allows counties to make purchases in the most cost-effective way possible.
Opportunities to Serve Our Community
District 196 has some openings on the Legislative Advisory Council and Curriculum Instruction Advisory Council. There are five at-large citizen positions on the district's Legislative Advisory Council (LAC). Applicants should have some experience in government affairs lobbying and/or the legislative process. The terms of all five positions are for two years beginning July 1, 2014. The deadline for applicants is May 31. For more information visit the district website here.
Parents who are interested in becoming involved in districtwide conversations regarding curriculum, instruction and assessment are encouraged to apply for membership on the district's Curriculum and Instruction Advisory Council (CIAC). Applications will be accepted through May 16 for two elementary school parent positions (specific schools, see within), one middle school parent position (Rosemount Middle) and one high school parent position (Eagan High). The terms of all four positions are for three years beginning in July 2014. For more information, visit the district website here.
Dakota County Unemployment and Youth Job Opportunities
The fine people at the Dakota-Scott Workforce Centers sent me some information that I wanted to pass along.
Unemployment Rates Continue to Decline (not seasonally adjusted) for selected months include:
Dakota Scott MN US
Mar. 14 4.7% 4.8% 5.4% 6.8%
Feb. 14 4.9% 5.0% 5.6% 7.0%
Mar. 13 5.1% 5.4% 5.7% 7.6%
The Workforce Center also has helpful resources for young people in our area looking for jobs:
Applications for Scott County Summer Youth Programs are available on the Scott County website, http://www.co.scott.mn.us. Click on Helping People & Health and then Employment & Training for the link to “Scott County Youth Employment Programs”. Deadline for application is May 9, 2014.
Who’s Hiring Youth? A monthly email with this information along with helpful hints for younger job seekers is emailed to a variety of school counselors and others who work with youth. Email darla.wallraff@co.dakota.mn.us if you would like to be added to the list. See the latest edition here.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you for the honor of representing you in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Sincerely,
Laurie Halverson
State Representative
District 51B
