Minnesota

Governors receive advisory group recommendations

May 14, 2009 -- A 42 person advisory group representing utilities, power generators, oil companies, manufacturers, labor, and environmental groups agreed yesterday to a set of Final Draft Recommendations that governors from six Midwestern states and the premier of Manitoba will use to develop a regional plan to cap and reduce global warming emissions.

The group advising the Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord (MGGRA) members—Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin and Manitoba—indicated a strong preference for Congress to enact a federal level program to address climate change.    » read more »

Governor outlines plan to use executive action to balance budget, says his preference is to sign into law a negotiated budget agreement

May 14, 2009 -- Saint Paul – At the State Capitol this afternoon, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty said, “Politics as usual around this place is over. The people of Minnesota expect and deserve timely and decisive action. I will not let the legislature’s work spill over into a special session.

We are not going to waste taxpayer money with a costly overtime or have a state government shutdown, especially in this economy. My preference would be for DFL legislators to work with me on a reasonable budget solution, but if they can’t get that done I will take executive action to balance the budget.”    » read more »

May 12, 2009 -- Rochester, MN – Congressman Tim Walz, Senator Amy Klobuchar, and Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced their support for a southern rail corridor around Rochester’s south side. The southern rail corridor would route trains away from downtown Rochester and the Mayo Clinic to reduce safety risks and allow for future development. The project would create hundreds of jobs during the construction phase while potentially preserving thousands of Mayo Clinic jobs.    » read more »

May 6, 2009 -- "The election process and recount in Minnesota have lived up to the state's reputation for organization, transparency, and bipartisanship. The officials have been meticulous and every ruling has been unanimous.

"While Senator Amy Klobuchar is one of the hardest working members of the United States Senate, Minnesotans deserve their full representation.

"Once the Minnesota Supreme Court has issued its final ruling in this case, the President and I look forward to working with Mr. Franken on building an economy for the 21st century."

Source: White House

05/06/2009 -- WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor today certified for release $130,063,620 in unemployment insurance (UI) modernization incentive funds to the state of Minnesota. Minnesota qualified for the funds available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) by allowing workers to use their more recent earnings to qualify for benefits. Minnesota's approved application will be posted at the department's Employment and Training Administration Web site at http://www.dol.gov/recovery/.    » read more »

Application for Part 1 of Minnesota's State Stabilization Funds Approved Today

April 28, 2009 -- U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that more than $547 million is now available for Minnesota under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. This funding will lay the foundation for a generation of education reform and help save hundreds of thousands of teaching jobs at risk of state and local budget cuts. Minnesota will be eligible to apply for another $269.4 million this fall. Today's funding is being made available per Minnesota's successful completion of Part 1 of the State Stabilization Application, which was made available April 1.    » read more »

April 22, 2009 -- MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Twelve Minnesota counties and a tribal reservation were designated eligible for federal Public Assistance (PA) on Wednesday. That brings the total number of counties to 27 according to officials from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Newly designated include Becker, Beltrami, Chippewa, Clearwater, Douglas, Hubbard, Lac Qui Parle, Lake of the Woods, Pope, Swift, Stevens, and Yellow Medicine counties and the White Earth Tribal Reservation.    » read more »

April 21, 2009 -- Moorhead – Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty along with Senator Keith Langseth and Representative Morrie Lanning today announced a proposed flood relief and recovery package to help residents and communities in the Red River Valley recover from spring flooding that included a record high crest in the Moorhead area.

“There were some anxious times and incredible efforts by many people when the water was rising and now we need to pitch in to help our neighbors recover,” Governor Pawlenty said. “This package will supplement the federal, state, and local work already underway.”    » read more »

California, Florida Join List of Ten Worst States in Disciplining Doctors; Minnesota Is Overall Worst State While Alaska Is Best

April 20, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Public Citizen’s annual ranking of state medical boards shows that most states, including two of the largest, are not living up to their obligations to protect patients from doctors who are practicing substandard medicine, according to the report released today.    » read more »

Phase I of proposed projects would link Chicago, St. Louis

April 14, 2009 -- JEFFERSON CITY - Missouri Governor Jay Nixon and the governors of seven other Midwestern states have joined in support of high-speed passenger rail projects to link cities in their region, with Chicago as the hub. The governors, along with Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, have sent a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood asking him to support plans that have been in place for several years for key rail corridors between cities in their states, including St. Louis to Chicago.    » read more »

April 14, 2009 -- Saint Paul – Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty announced today that the Presidential major disaster declaration for Minnesota now includes federal relief and recovery assistance for Roseau, Otter Tail, Pennington, Red Lake, Grant, Lake, Wadena and Mahnomen counties. The eight counties were added by FEMA today after damage assessments were completed last week.

“Flooding may have damaged infrastructure, but not the Minnesota spirit,” Governor Pawlenty said. “This federal assistance will help communities in these counties recover from damage caused by flooding this spring.”    » read more »

April 9, 2009 -- Saint Paul – Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty announced this afternoon that President Obama has approved a major disaster declaration for Minnesota. The presidential declaration clears the way for federal relief and recovery assistance in Traverse, Wilkin, Clay, Norman, Polk, Marshall and Kittson counties along the Red River in northwestern Minnesota.

Governor Pawlenty requested an expedited major disaster declaration in a letter to the President on March 25.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, DC, Wednesday, April 8, 2009 -- U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood today announced that airports around the country will receive $258 million under the recently enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

“Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act we are creating jobs across the country while investing in the long-term safety and economic vitality of our airports,” said Secretary LaHood.    » read more »

March 26, 2009 -- Saint Paul – Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty unveiled a new state website today that shines the light on state government spending. The site provides a powerful new way for citizens to easily examine and follow money spent by state government.

“Online, all-the-time access to information is a powerful tool that will empower citizens to help hold government accountable,” Governor Pawlenty said. “Taxpayers are paying the bills and they should have the ability to easily look at the state’s checkbook. I encourage citizens to use this website to become watchdogs and help us make government more efficient and effective.”    » read more »

March 25, 2009 -- Saint Paul – In a letter to President Obama, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty today requested an expedited disaster declaration for the State of Minnesota as a result of severe storms and flooding in Clay, Kittson, Marshall, Norman, Polk, Traverse, and Wilkin Counties.

“The outpouring of community support I saw along the Red River this week should make every Minnesotan proud,” Governor Pawlenty said. “Our neighbors are battling the river and the state is working together with local partners to provide every available amount of assistance. Soon we’ll need federal support to help our communities recover from this flooding. I’m hopeful the federal government will grant our request promptly.”    » read more »