Dear Neighbors,

When I was elected 2 years ago I promised I would work hard across party lines to get things done. I told you my focus would be on the basics of providing excellent educational opportunities for all our children, making quality health care more accessible and affordable, investing in safe and reliable roads and bridges and an expansion of transit options to help reduce congestion and our dependence on foreign oil, improving public safety and providing for a cleaner, healthier environment.

Well, I am proud to say this legislative session is being touted as the most productive session in recent memory by people of all political stripes.  We were able to deliver on all the basics, and our bipartisan transportation bill and public works investment bill will create nearly 40,000 jobs.  Further, we gave small businesses some help in providing more affordable health care for their employees.  This reform should help the private sector create even more jobs in the future.  This strong job growth should help our sluggish economy get moving in the right direction more quickly.

In addition we were able to provide real, sustainable property tax relief as well as greater transparency in property tax assessment practices.

But, this session was more than just increased investments and property tax relief.  We also focused on the necessary reforms that will make government more efficient and accountable, and provide taxpayers with greater assurance that they are getting the best value for their tax dollars.

We took many steps in the right direction to get Minnesota moving again.  But we still have much work to do.  Class sizes are still too high, and the under funded mandate of special education is still creating too much stress on the system.  Meanwhile our school report cards offer a too limited view of how well schools are educating our kids because they do not include a measure of how much kids are learning in any given year.

Too many children and families still do not have access to quality, affordable health care and they are forced to access health care through the emergency room, driving up the costs for all of us.

We made great strides in developing our “green economy” with the renewable energy standard and our global warming mitigation act.  But, we still struggle to find a real alternative to gasoline, commuters still need more transit options, and too many of our lakes, rivers and streams remain unhealthy for recreation.

I’m proud of what we accomplished in 2 years.  And, with your help, I’m looking forward to continuing to make progress in these important areas that have for so long created a high quality of life in Minnesota.  I thank you for your past support, and I hope I can count on it again in the future.

Sincerely,

Will Morgan

State Representative

(651) 296-4212

ESSENTIAL INVESTMENTS, NECESSARY REFORM

ESSENTIAL INVESTMENTS

Education

• $850 million in new funding for K-12 schools 

• Held college tuition increases to a ten year low 

• Restored Early Childhood Education programs

Health Care 

• Made coverage more affordable for those with insurance 

• Provided coverage for over 100,000 uninsured Minnesotans 

• Increased funding for nursing homes 

Transportation 

• Provided essential resources for safer roads and bridges 

• Secured federal resources to reduce congestion on I-35W 

• Increased transit options 

Public Safety 

• Cracked down on sexual predators 

• Put more cops on the street 

• Put more judges on the bench 

Environment 

• Built critical clean water infrastructure 

• Allowed voters to choose on new funding for the outdoors 

• Restored endangered wetlands 

NECESSARY REFORM 

Education 

• Created a task force to make special education more efficient 

• Enhanced oversight of Permanent School Trust Lands 

• Expanded eligibility for veterans pursuing higher education 

Health Care 

• Helped small employers save money on health care 

• Streamlined billing processes to eliminate waste 

• Focused on preventative care to curb costly chronic diseases

Transportation 

• Enhanced safety for teen drivers 

• Outlawed text messaging behind the wheel 

• Increased oversight and accountability at MnDOT 

Public Safety 

• Helped Minnesotans avoid foreclosure 

• Established new consumer protection measures 

• Required insurance companies to act in good faith

Environment 

• Established a nation-leading renewable energy standard 

• Ensured oversight for proposed dedicated funding 

• Set an aggressive goal for reducing greenhouse gas emissions