Newsletter Archives

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

North Star Newsletter | September, 2010

Visiting Communities Across the State

This past month, I spent a lot of time traveling around Minnesota, hearing ideas from farmers, small business owners, and workers about how to create jobs and help Minnesotans through these tough times. I visited Wadena, Mora, Brainerd, Little Falls, Alexandria, Mankato, New Ulm, Hutchinson, Willmar, Fairfax, Luverne, Tyler, Slayton, and Worthington and listened to the concerns of business and community leaders. I was blown away by the technological and economic innovation I saw throughout my trip, and by the way that communities are pulling together to help those in need. These strong Minnesotans will be on my mind when the Senate convenes in September to pass legislation that will provide tax breaks to small businesses to spur growth and hiring.

Promoting Math and Science at the Fair

I’ve been going to the Fair as much as I can since it opened last week and the most impressive thing I’ve seen (aside from the delicious roasted corn) has been "STEM Day," organized on the Fair’s opening day by the Minnesota Center for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence. Exhibits included hands-on experiments and displays for kids and adults about exciting career opportunities in the growing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields. The jobs of the future will be in STEM fields which means we need to do a better job of making sure our kids graduate from high school with STEM skills. I was pleased to be able to speak to fairgoers at the STEM Day exhibit, my booth, and many other places around the fairgrounds. You can see more photos of me at the Fair on Flickr.

Senate Field Hearing on Seniors in Maple Grove Next Week

Next Friday, I will be holding a Senate Special Committee on Aging field hearing in Maple Grove entitled, "Strengthening Our Commitment to Minnesota Seniors: Promoting Independent Living Through the Older Americans Act Reauthorization." The Older Americans Act (OAA) funds many crucial senior services in Minnesota. My staff and I have held listening sessions and meetings with over 400 Minnesota seniors and we recently issued a report on our findings. This field hearing will help me and the other members of the Aging Committee better understand the needs of Minnesota’s seniors as I work to reauthorize the OAA next year.

New Health Care Benefits Take Effect

It’s been nearly six months since Congress passed the Affordable Care Act, and benefits are already taking effect. We started closing the Medicare Part D donut hole in June, and recently the Department of Health and Human Services announced that so far 1 million seniors have received prescription drug relief. Starting on September 23rd, children will be allowed to stay on their parents' insurance plans until their 26th birthday, and insurers will be prohibited from charging co-payments or deductibles for preventive care on new insurance plans. There are many more benefits that are taking effect and you can find them all on my website.

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