A GREAT START TO THE 2010 LEGISLATIVE SESSION: Feb 4, 2010
St. Paul, MN – The Minnesota House of Representatives introduced its Capital Investment bill (House File 2700) on the first day of the 2010 Legislative Session.
"The state of the economy and the number of Minnesotans looking for work inspired the early introduction of this year’s jobs-focused bonding bill that is aimed at stimulating economic growth and development across the state,” said State Representative Larry Haws. “Early passage of this bill can positively impact our budget deficit as more Minnesotans return to work.”
Coming in just under $1 billion, the bill emphasizes three key priorities: higher education investments, transportation and transit improvements, and clean water infrastructure. St. Cloud proposed bonding projects in the 2010 House Capital Investment bill include:
Statewide Projects:
•Renovation dollars ($5.4 million) to remodel and furnish the recently purchased Allied Health Center for the St. Cloud Technical College to help create a state of the art medical training facility which will accommodate the growing regional demand for skilled allied health care professionals.
•Architecture dollars ($42 million) dedicated to the proposed Integrated Science and Engineering Laboratory Facility at St. Cloud State University (SCSU). The proposed new construction is for teaching and research laboratories, and student academic support spaces based on the model of designing flexible laboratories that can be reconfigured to meet changes in science and engineering needs.
•Requesting a $1 million to match federal funds for the North Star Commuter Rail Extension.
Local Projects:
•Expansion plans ($15.1 million) for the St. Cloud Civic Center that will match city funds.
"This bill is an important part of the House DFL’s job agenda; it could create 10,000 to 20,000 private and public sector jobs,” said State Representative Larry Haws. “It’s also perfect timing - construction season is almost here and an early passage of a targeted bonding bill will allow construction on shovel-ready projects to begin immediately.”
The bill will be heard in the House Capital Investment Committee next Tuesday and will be sent to the House floor for a full vote within the next two weeks.
01-06-2010
Greetings Neighbors,
To start the New Year off I thought I’d share some information on an Energy Saver Rebate Program for qualified Minnesota homeowners and some information on how you can help a local food shelf.
Sincerely,
Larry Haws, State Representative
Energy Saver Rebate Program for Minnesota Homeowners
A new rebate is available to Minnesota homeowners who complete energy-saving home improvements with Minnesota Housing Fix-up loan funds. The Energy Saver Rebate Program will provide qualified homeowners with loans of up to $10,000.
Interested homeowners should act quickly as these rebates are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Energy Saver Rebates can be used for:
• Replacement furnaces, boilers, and central air conditioners that are eligible for Federal Energy Tax Credit;
• Replacement exterior doors that are eligible for Federal Energy Tax Credit;
• Energy Star replacement windows;
• Energy Star light fixtures;
• Attic air sealing;
• Wall and attic insulation in conjunction with attic air sealing; and
• Water heaters if they are “orphaned” due to furnace replacement.
Improvements must be done by a licensed contractor, and the homeowner must submit the Energy Saver Rebate Application for the completed improvements to their lender within 120 days of the Fix-up Fund loan’s closing. Fix-Up Fund loans are available to households with an income of less than $96,500. Check if you are eligible for the Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency or a rebate from their utility company when doing energy efficiency improvements. Additional information and a list of authorized lenders are available at: www.mnhousing.gov. Make a Difference to Local Charities & Hunger Relief. You can help local charities and food shelves by clicking once every 24 hours on this link: www.landolakesinc.com/company/corporateresponsibility/foundation. When you get to the screen all you have to do is click on “You Click, We Donate.” You can click once every 24 hours and the Land O Lakes Foundation will donate to the local Food Shelf.
December, 01,2009
With the country’s current economy the holidays can be a tough time for families and individuals. Providing a warm, wholesome dinner and Christmas gifts may be a challenge for many parents throughout the United States and situations such as these hit even closer to home than some think. A 2008 report by the Children’s Defense Fund in Minnesota
determined that 140,000 children alone are living in poverty. What about the number of overall families who cannot provide for themselves?
Established in the late 1800s by Captain Joseph McFee, The Salvation Army has been helping people throughout the world and has been accepting donations via their famous red kettles, which have strewn across the world to places such as Chile, Japan, and Korea. The donations collected throughout the years have provided thousands of families Christmas dinners and wonderful memories. But it is The Salvation Army volunteers who make this tradition possible. Hundreds of ordinary people take time out of their hectic lives to ring the bell, raising money for local families. Volunteers are always welcome and encouraged.
If interested in making a difference,
contact Brandi Greenly, the Saint Cloud Kettle Coordinator at (320) 257-7423 or visit
salvationarmycollege.org
11/09/2009
Greetings!
A newly-formed bipartisan House Small Business Caucus has been established to make Minnesota more competitive in small business start-up and sustainability. A key part of the Small Business Caucus is to gather high quality and accurate information about the state of Minnesota’s economy, employment, and the weaknesses and challenges of the state and its policies from the perspective of businesses that operate here or that would like to operate here. Small business owner’s input is wanted by legislators – I encourage you to complete a survey that is available on the Minnesota House of Representatives web site by November 30th.
http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/smallbusinesssuggestions.asp
Sincerely,
Larry Haws, State Representative
Greetings Neighbors,
I will be hosting a House Capital Investment tour in St. Cloud on October 20, 2009 to visit sites in the community with proposed bonding projects for 2010. The House Capital Investment Committee is responsible for approving money for capital projects and state infrastructure, so we will make be making the most of this opportunity and invite members into our community to have a first-hand look at our resources and project needs.
The tour will begin with a stop at the St. Cloud Technical College where members will have an opportunity to listen to project needs of the Technical College Library innovations and renovation plans for the Allied Health Center. This will be followed by a visit to St. Cloud State University to hear a presentation on proposed new construction for an Integrated Science and Engineering Laboratory Facility that will be used for teaching, research, and student academic support spaces configured to meet changes in science and engineering needs. Later in the evening legislators will hear from community leaders, business owners and developers about expansion plans for the St. Cloud Civic Center and land acquisition of the St. Cloud Regional Airport Property. The tour will also include an acquisition update on Dehler property and the Quarry Park/Nature Reserve.
It's important for members of the St. Cloud community to have an opportunity to engage with members of the Minnesota House Capital Investment Committee. The chair of the committee, Representative Hausman, and I have had numerous productive conversations about St. Cloud bonding projects in preparation for the 2010 Legislative Session. One-on-One visits like this only help to clarify the importance and purpose of projects planned for our community.
Sincerely,
Larry Haws, State Representative
9-07-2009
Greetings Neighbors,
It’s that time of year when fairgoers at the Minnesota State Fair had an opportunity to participate in the House of Representatives State Fair Poll and share their concerns and opinions. Nearly 9,000 fairgoers took an informal, unscientific survey conducted by nonpartisan House Public Information Services to let their elected officials know where they stand on the day’s issues.
The 2009 House of Representatives State Fair Poll included 13 questions that covered such topics as funding for a Vikings stadium, unallotment, medical marijuana, early voting and budget cuts versus tax increases. While the entire survey and poll reults are available at http://www.house.mn/ I’d like to highlight some issues that may be topics of discussion in the upcoming session.
Exactly 47.5 percent of polltakers support cuts to balance the state budget and nearly 44 percent support tax increases. More than three-quarters of polltakers believe the legislative process should be more transparent by requiring public budget negotiations between the governor and legislative leaders. By nearly eight percentage points, polltakers stated the governor should not have the power to use unallotment to prevent an anticipated budget deficit.
Nearly 57 percent of the voters believe the state should allow voters to cast ballots as early as two weeks before Election Day, and 51 percent support the idea that registration for a driver’s license or state identification card would automatically allow the applicant to vote.
Almost 70 percent voted for the use of medical marijuana to ease the suffering of terminally ill patients.
The big loser of the survey - by a 2-to-1 ratio, polltakers said voter approval should be required before any public money is used for a new or refurbished Minnesota Vikings stadium.
Participating in this poll is a wonderful opportunity for Minnesotans to share their concerns and opinions. Frankly some of the best ideas come from listening to the suggestions of the people we serve at the State Legislature.
Sincerely,
Larry Haws, State Representative
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