- ELECTION RESULT UPDATE
- CHAIR SELECTIONS ANNOUNCED
- BUDGET FORECAST RELEASE DATE
THANK YOU!!!
Thank you for the opportunity to continue to serve you in the MN House Representatives. This year's election gave me a higher percentage of the vote than in any other election I've been in. I am under no illusions that the primary reason for this was really a vote "against" the spending in Washington, D.C...but that is ok... I'll take it. :-) Thank you again - I look forward to the opportunity to work for you in the next 2 years.
CHAIRMAN ANNOUNCEMENT
Speaker-designate Kurt Zellers released the list of committee chairman today. I am honored to share with you that he named me the chairman of the House Education Finance committee. I view this as a tremendous opportunity to help reshape and modernize our state's outdated education laws. No doubt the road ahead will be difficult, but I'm confident that the legislature will be able to work with the new Governor (Dayton or Emmer) on significant education reform this legislative session.
BUDGET FORECAST
So the good news is I get to chair the Education Finance committee. Now the bad news. Look for the state's budget forecast to get worse when it is released on December 2nd. I expect the budget deficit to increase above 6 billion dollars for the upcoming budget cycle. (July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2013) The choices we face are difficult and there are no - repeat - no popular solutions. Be leery of politicians...from both parties.... who promise "easy answers". While these choices will be unpopular, I am confident - as always - that in the long run our state and country will be strong.
ABBY'S JOKE OF THE MONTH
What is Saturn's favorite kind of pasta? RINGS. :-)
Thank you again. It is an honor to serve as your State Representative!
Rep. Pat Garofalo
District 36B
221 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
(651) 296-1069
1-888-667-3337
