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8/12/2019 Pre-Session Newsletter
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/pre-session-newsletter 1/2
Staying Busy:Staying Busy:
Following the 2012 election, I was appointed to serve as Chair of the Higher Education/Workforce
Development Committee. I have been humbled and honored to serve in this capacity. I believe
that ensuring Minnesota’s strong tradition of educational excellence is vital to a successful and
vibrant future for our state. The 2013 Higher Education/Workforce Development Committee had
positive impacts such as a tuition freeze at the University of Minnesota and MnSCU and made key
investments in workforce related efforts.
During the interim, my office made it a priority to get even more familiar with the issues facing our
Post-Secondary System. Specifically, I wanted to hear directly from students across the State about
the issues that confront them on a daily basis. Joined by my staff and local legislators, during the
month of September we conducted a listening tour across the entire State. I heard suggestions
from students and administrators to better learn how to keep moving Minnesota’s higher
educational system forward. These visits were invaluable, as you do not truly know somewhere
until you visit personally.
Among the common themes that we heard on our tour was the frustration that students
experienced in transferring credits from one institution to another. This doesn’t just irritate
students, it has a real impact on the debt they take on and can significantly increase the time it
takes them to graduate. In addition, we heard that students are extremely enthusiastic about
internship and other experiential learning opportunities. As the 2014 Session gets underway, one
of my top focuses will be on encouraging businesses and young people to engage in more of these.
2014 Legislative Preview
Minimum Wage
Repeal Business to
Business Taxes
Teacher Evaluation
Implementation
Comprehensive
Transportation
Investment
“Unsession”
Closing the Skills Gap, Reducing Student Debt:
As Chair of the Higher Education/Workforce Development Committee, one of the initiatives that I am most excited about this Session is the possibilit
of creating a comprehensive, apprentice-like system that matches up businesses with students right out of high school. Imagine a program in which
businesses choose a handful of students to sponsor. They would offer these students a stipend to work and train at their company. The students wo
simultaneously take courses at a Post-Secondary Institution and receive credit for their work. When the program is up, the company would be able to
hire these new workers full-time. The students would already have the exact skills the company requires. This would cut down on training and hiring
costs for the company. In addition, it would save students time, money, and anxiety about how they are going to enter the workforce. The State cou
facilitate this relationship and possibly even subsidize the tuition for the students.
Hollydale:
Last Session, we passed a law that prohibits a 115kv power line from running through Plymouth neighborhoods unless there is no distribution
alternative. The law clearly stated that this project could not move forward unless there was clear and convincing evidence that there were no other
distribution alternatives. In the face of this strong opposition, Xcel has withdrawn their application. I accept and appreciate Xcel’s petition to withdra
in hopes of finding another solution. However, many residents remain concerned that Xcel is going to come back in a few months with a new propos
that would not adhere to the law that was passed, nor the legislative intent behind the law. Representative Sarah Anderson and I drafted a letter to
the Judge to express our strong belief that Xcel should only be allowed to withdraw their current application if they are required to have future
proposals adhere to the same law.
8/12/2019 Pre-Session Newsletter
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/pre-session-newsletter 2/2