As the DFL endorsed candidate for State Senate in District 66, I look forward to working with all of you this summer and fall, not just for my re-election but to help all of our DFL candidates win. We must keep our US Senate seat and the State Senate in DFL hands, and take back the Governorship and the Minnesota House!

The last few years have been a mixture of hope and disappointment. We were able to secure a few small victories despite a Republican Governor and House. I was the chief author of several bills that passed into law, including the following:

• Minimum Wage bill, which increased the minimum wage from $5.15/hour to $6.15/hour
• The 2005 Energy bill, which encourages community-based energy development for growing technologies such as wind power; it gives priority to clean, renewable power sources such as wind, solar, and biomass when building new transmission lines, and it lays the groundwork for further development of hydrogen
• A bill to protect the solvency of the state unemployment fund
• A bill to stop “Equity Stripping” scams that take advantage of homeowners in dire financial straits
• A bill to preserve warranties for homeowners and protect their rights
• A bill to preserve funding for the Family Homeless Prevention program to help those in danger of losing their homes
• The Crib Safety bill, which is designed to prevent future tragedies like the one in which an infant died in a St. Paul area day care center
• A bill to allow parents the option of a birth certificate for a child who is stillborn (under previous law parents could only obtain a death certificate)

Sen. Anderson at the Conservatory

In addition, I led the successful fight to fund improvements to Como Park (including the Zoo, Conservatory and Visitors’ Center), Phalen Corridor, and to support St. Paul’s new Bioscience Corridor.

But, despite these victories, there were also many disappointments, most of which were due to the fact that, together, Republican Speaker Steve Sviggum and Governor Tim Pawlenty outnumber the DFL-controlled Senate.

To give you an example, I was the chief Senate author of the 2006 Energy bill, which would have required Minnesota utilities to generate at least 20% of their electricity from clean, renewable sources by 2020. The bill passed the Senate, but House Republican leaders refused to allow a vote on it in the House. This bill would also have strengthened programs to conserve energy and to help low and moderate income people cope with the high cost of winter heat.

One of the most disheartening events was the action taken by Sviggum, Pawlenty and their supporters to remove thousands of Minnesotans from health care coverage, while simultaneously raising college tuition so much that secondary education is fast moving out of reach for many of our citizens while pinching the already-strained budgets of numerous others.

Missteps like these motivate me to fight harder for our shared DFL goals! It’s my hope that if we can keep the Senate and take back the House and the Governorship, we can achieve them. In my next term, I plan to build on the work I’ve done and continue to emphasize key priorities:

• Working for clean, renewable energy; conservation; and assistance with the high cost of winter heat; supporting measures to combat global warming
• Working to protect American jobs through economic development programs, job training and dealing with the outsourcing issue
• Protecting high-paying jobs right here in the St. Paul area, such as those at large manufacturing facilities like the Ford Plant and Rock-Tenn, while encouraging them to use environmentally-friendly fuels and products
• Increasing economic opportunity by working to roll back the Pawlenty tuition increases
• Putting a stop to the bashing of state employees that has hurt morale and driven up health care costs
• Working to protect our civil rights and our civil liberties
• Working with state, city and county leaders to protect and enhance public safety
• Helping to increase options in the workplace through progressive programs like paid parental leave
• Ensuring that health plan prescription drug coverage includes birth control
• Helping us to move into the future in the fast-moving field of telecommunications, while protecting consumers in the process
• Continuing to develop innovative transit options such as the Central Corridor

The Primary election is September 12 and the General election is November 7. Between now and then, let’s work together to elect the entire DFL ticket! The party is working hard to coordinate our efforts statewide; let’s all help to keep that momentum growing!

— Sen. Ellen Anderson
August, 2006