What a difference an election makes. Those are the words of Margaret Anderson Kelliher (DFL-Minneapolis), the incoming Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. She will take the gavel Wednesday, Jan. 3, to lead a chamber with a 36-seat majority for the DFL Party — the first labor-friendly majority in eight years.
Entering her fifth term as a House member, Anderson Kelliher last session earned a 100 percent rating from the Minnesota AFL-CIO on working family issues.
"In the last eight years," Anderson Kelliher observed, "most Labor issues have been a matter of playing defense." Now, she continued, "it\'s a matter of being able to play offense."
With new leadership this year, Kelliher emphasized, the House will follow the heed of voters and avoid last session\'s issues that "divide and distract" and instead focus on "bread and butter issues." The session convenes at noon Wednesday.
Chief among those issues will be taking on property tax relief, providing increased aid to public education, and improving health care access and affordability. Addressing transportation needs also will be a priority.
Anderson Kelliher said a like agenda is ahead for the Senate, with Senator Larry Pogemiller (DFL-Minneapolis) as Majority Leader.
"People just want us to get our work done and focus on issues that are important to their lives in a daily way," Anderson Kelliher said.
One of Anderson Kelliher\'s first moves as incoming House Speaker: "we\'re bringing back labor and consumer protection issues in a division."
That division\'s chair will be union member Jim Davnie, a teacher and Education Minnesota member, now entering his fourth term in the Minnesota House representing south Minneapolis.
The House DFL caucus chose six assistant majority leaders, three from the suburbs, three from Greater Minnesota.
The three from suburban areas are legislators closely allied with the Minneapolis Central Labor Union Council: Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park), Mike Nelson (DFL-Brooklyn Park), and Steve Simon (DFL-St. Louis Park).
"We need to govern," said Hortman, who is entering her second term in the House. "There is a hunger among the now sophomore class and the freshmen coming in to get things done."
"We want to create a state that\'s full of good paying jobs and so do our friends in Labor," she added.
"Instead of focusing on divisive social issues, our campaign was ‘back to the basics.\' We need to stick to the basic message we ran on," said Nelson, a Carpenters Union member now entering his third term in the House.
Steve Share edits the Labor Review, the official publication of the Minneapolis Central Labor Union Council. Visit the CLUC website at www.minneapolisunions.org
The Minnesota AFL-CIO still was preparing a specific legislative agenda as the Labor Review went to press. Unlike last year, when labor legislation couldn\'t even get hearings in the House, "we certainly expect hearings on our bills," said Brad Lehto, the state federation\'s legislative director. "We\'re looking forward to having friendly folks to talk with."
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What a difference an election makes. Those are the words of Margaret Anderson Kelliher (DFL-Minneapolis), the incoming Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. She will take the gavel Wednesday, Jan. 3, to lead a chamber with a 36-seat majority for the DFL Party — the first labor-friendly majority in eight years.
Entering her fifth term as a House member, Anderson Kelliher last session earned a 100 percent rating from the Minnesota AFL-CIO on working family issues.
"In the last eight years," Anderson Kelliher observed, "most Labor issues have been a matter of playing defense." Now, she continued, "it\’s a matter of being able to play offense."
With new leadership this year, Kelliher emphasized, the House will follow the heed of voters and avoid last session\’s issues that "divide and distract" and instead focus on "bread and butter issues." The session convenes at noon Wednesday.
Chief among those issues will be taking on property tax relief, providing increased aid to public education, and improving health care access and affordability. Addressing transportation needs also will be a priority.
Anderson Kelliher said a like agenda is ahead for the Senate, with Senator Larry Pogemiller (DFL-Minneapolis) as Majority Leader.
"People just want us to get our work done and focus on issues that are important to their lives in a daily way," Anderson Kelliher said.
One of Anderson Kelliher\’s first moves as incoming House Speaker: "we\’re bringing back labor and consumer protection issues in a division."
That division\’s chair will be union member Jim Davnie, a teacher and Education Minnesota member, now entering his fourth term in the Minnesota House representing south Minneapolis.
The House DFL caucus chose six assistant majority leaders, three from the suburbs, three from Greater Minnesota.
The three from suburban areas are legislators closely allied with the Minneapolis Central Labor Union Council: Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park), Mike Nelson (DFL-Brooklyn Park), and Steve Simon (DFL-St. Louis Park).
"We need to govern," said Hortman, who is entering her second term in the House. "There is a hunger among the now sophomore class and the freshmen coming in to get things done."
"We want to create a state that\’s full of good paying jobs and so do our friends in Labor," she added.
"Instead of focusing on divisive social issues, our campaign was ‘back to the basics.\’ We need to stick to the basic message we ran on," said Nelson, a Carpenters Union member now entering his third term in the House.
Steve Share edits the Labor Review, the official publication of the Minneapolis Central Labor Union Council. Visit the CLUC website at www.minneapolisunions.org
The Minnesota AFL-CIO still was preparing a specific legislative agenda as the Labor Review went to press. Unlike last year, when labor legislation couldn\’t even get hearings in the House, "we certainly expect hearings on our bills," said Brad Lehto, the state federation\’s legislative director. "We\’re looking forward to having friendly folks to talk with."