Happy New Year to all and welcome to the 2015 Legislative Session!

The New Year brings with it a

new Minnesota Legislature. The recently elected Republican majority in the House of
Representatives signals a Session with promise for bi-partisan cooperation. I am hopeful that rather
than focusing on that which divides us, we come together and unite around the issues that move
our State and our citizens towards well-being and economic prosperity. I know that my focus is on
working together to move Minnesota forward in an efficient and effective manner.
Earn While You Learn

Transportation

Last Session, I introduced to you a bill that we called

The PIPELINE Project (Private Investment / Public
Education, Labor and Industry Experience). This
initiative was the starting point for a new education
and workforce training model that connects students,
businesses and education institutions through dualeducation opportunities that allow students to earn
while they learn.

As you may have read in the Star Tribune last

week, one of the major focuses of the 2015
Legislative Session will be passing a
comprehensive transportation package. There
are not many people who disagree about the
dire need to fix our roads and bridges
especially when you hit those huge potholes
following the winter freeze. The question that
legislators will need to answer is how to best
fund this investment.

We are now in the next phase of this journey. The

legislation I introduced this week will provide grant
funding to businesses that take in students as
apprentices, while they are simultaneously attending a
post-secondary institution to receive education
towards an accredited degree. Using this model, we
seek to eliminate the workforce issues that have
plagued the business community (skills gap) and at the
same time, save students from being burdened with
debt, while providing them with the exact knowledge
and skills they will need to be successful in their field.
The hard work that has been put into this initiative
received validation this week when we were included
in the ceremonial first six. This refers to the first six
pieces of legislation that is introduced by the Senate
and signals priority for the body.
As the Session moves forward, I will continue to
update you on the progress of this bill (and hopefully
youll be reading about it in the paper!)

If you have ever visited my office in the Capitol,

then you know that one of the most striking
pieces of art I have on my wall is a six foot long
picture of the 35W Bridge just after it collapsed.
Every day, I look at this picture and get
reminded of the importance of preserving our
roads and bridges. The Governor, the public and
now the Legislature (both Republicans and
Democrats alike) have signaled that this issue is
a top priority. This year, we will pass a bill to fix
our transportation infrastructure so that
Minnesotans can trust the safety of our travel.

Regent Candidate Advisory Council

The University of Minnesota is governed by a Board of Regents. This group provides oversight and
strategic direction to President Kaler. These Regents serve six-year, staggered terms, with elections for
new members occurring each odd year. As we enter 2015, the Minnesota Legislature is responsible for
electing five new members to this body.
The process is long and arduous, with the first step being a nomination by the Regent Candidate
Advisory Council (RCAC) before making their way to a joint committee of the House and Senate Higher
Education Committees. It will then ultimately be voted on by the Legislature as a whole. RCAC is typically
made up of citizen committee members, but this year we made a change. We decided that it would be
helpful to have legislators sit on the committee and be a part of the front end of recruitment and
validation. I, along with my colleague Senator Eric Pratt, chose to represent the Senate and spent this
past week listening to over 19 exhaustive candidate interviews.
My time this week gave me a new appreciation for the incredible amount of time and effort that
members of RCAC put into this first step. On Thursday, we voted on our preferred candidates and I
couldnt be more pleased with the slate that we are moving forward to the joint committee. We had an
extraordinary pool of talent to choose from and I am grateful to all the applicants! Look for updates on
this process in later newsletters.

Town Hall Meetings

We are in the process of scheduling
our two town halls (A side and B
side) for the beginning of Session. I
will send out a notice once the time
and place has been confirmed. I
hope to have both Representatives
join me for their respective meeting.