Seward Neighborhood Group passed the resolution below. You can read some discussion of the issue (including Representative Jim Davnie’s response) at the Seward Neighbor’s Forum.
Dear Neighbors,
The 2010 Legislative Session came to a close just two weeks ago. Intense, sometimes testy, deliberations between the legislative leaders and the Governor resulted in a deal that left few happy and Minnesota’s long term needs unresolved. Continue reading
Dear Neighbors,
The pace of activity remains high at the legislature this week. Friday is our second deadline for bills to pass through committees in both houses in order to still be considered alive. That means lots of additional hearings may go late into the evening.
State Representative Jim Davnie
Capitol Update
March 5, 2010
Dear Neighbors,
Minnesota had a good week. On top of experiencing plenty of sunshine our local economy also showed a bright spot. The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) issued a report which showed our state added 15,600 jobs in January. This dropped our unemployment rate from 7.4 to 7.3 percent. It might seem small but these days any little bit helps.
[Representative Davnie posted this to the Seward Neighbors Forum. Watch for future updates in the Profile too.]
As a way to try and reach out to neighbors in the heat of the legislative session so that you can better know what I am up to and what issues the legislature is struggling with I thought I would try posting my legislative newsletters to neighborhood forums.This provides us with a great opportunity to expand public safety initiatives in Minneapolis while at the same time promoting cultural institutions like Orchestra Hall. A safe and secure city that offers unique cultural experiences will drive commerce and tourism.
Unfortunately, the final bill left out the Midtown Farmers Market. I was disappointed by this omission. It is not unusual for it to take more than one attempt to secure bonding dollars for a project. I’ll continue to work with Market proponents and other stakeholders to find ways to support the Market. Governor Pawlenty responded swiftly even before the passage of the bonding bill. He sent a letter explaining rather than line-item projects out of our bill he would veto the entire measure. In an attempt to avoid a veto and keep open the opportunity for negotiations the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate agreed to hold onto the bill rather than move it along to the Governor’s desk. The bill’s authors have sent the Governor a letter asking him to identify, now that he has returned to the state, specifically which projects he objects to and where he wants more money spent. They have asked him to make this information public by noon on Thursday so that the Senate can begin the parliamentary process of reopening the bill for further negotiations. In a quick response the Governor has responded in part, pointing to his bonding proposal while also indicating a willingness to try to reach a compromise. I recognize that the people of Minnesota want the Governor and Legislature to act jointly in the interests of the state and to do so quickly. I hope that these recent developments help make that possible. Sincerely, Jim Davnie State Representative District 62AJim Davnie
