Today’s Free Press website announces:

Read the first-ever live online interview by The Free Press. Editor Joe Spear talks with Rep. Terry Morrow for 40 minutes or so on all the news that’s happening at the Capital.

You can read the discussion here

This week, Terry’s bill to restore funding to help Minnesota’s veterans who are homeless or are at risk of homelessness was included in the Agriculture and Veterans Affairs bill. The Governor’s budget proposal eliminated $750,000/year of the funds that the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV).  Terry’s bill to restore the $750,000 resulted in restoring $350,000/year, which was increased this week to $480,000/year.

More on MACV can be found at:

http://www.mac-v.org/

More on Terry’s bill can be found at:

http://www.mankato-freepress.com/local/local_story_114004125.html

On Friday, Terry and MnDOT Commissioner Thomas Sorel, DEED Commissioner Dan McElroy, MnDOT Project Manager Dave Christenson, and MnDOT Government Affairs Director Scott Peterson visited with local business and community leaders in Winthrop.  After touring the Minnesota Prairie Line, UFC, and Heartland Corn, the group moved to the Winthrop City Hall for a meeting with the rail coalition led by Rob Edwards.

 

KEYC coverage of the visit can be found on the City of Winthrop homepage:

 

http://www.winthropminnesota.com/

A fight to increase Minnesota’s grant program for higher education: An open letter from state official Terry Morrow

Both as an associate professor at Gustavus Adolphus College and as an Assistant Majority Leader in the Minnesota House of Representatives, I am dedicated to supporting higher education. This year, I have talked with students from virtually every private college in Minnesota. Your commitment to higher education is critically important to Minnesota. You offer hope that together we can sustain the rewarding jobs that fuel our economy and secure your future.

For 25 years, the Minnesota State Grant program has enabled and encouraged students to choose the college that best suits their needs. By offering a hand to low- and middle-income students, Minnesota remains true to its vision of education for everyone. This critically important tuition assistance helps students and families invest in the education that ultimately serves our entire state. Economists and business leaders consistently cite Minnesota’s educated workforce as one of our state’s essential economic assets.

To maintain this attractive advantage, we must maintain the investment. Students visiting the capitol this year have stressed the importance of the State Grant program. The federal recovery act offers an opportunity to increase Minnesota’s grant program by 25%. The House Higher Education Finance bill turns this opportunity into reality. It reduces the student share on tuition and increases funding for work study, living expenses, and more.

Over 80,000 students benefit from the Minnesota State Grant program. Please be assured that I will continue to advocate for this assistance and for higher education overall. Minnesota’s success and your future depend upon it.
Take care,

Rep. Terry Morrow

as printed in The Carletonian

St. Paul, MN - State Representative Terry Morrow is working with local, statewide and national veterans organizations throughout this legislative session on a variety of proposals. This work builds upon Representative Morrow’s discussions with Hank Sadler, the retired Nicollet County Veteran Services Officer, about challenges that veterans face in Minnesota.

Terry and Representative Paul Marquart in committee

Last week, Representative Morrow’s bill to increase support for Minnesota’s homeless veterans was included in the House Agricultural Finance and Veterans Affairs budget bill. Working with Kathy Vitalis of the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans (MACV), Representative Morrow successfully argued that the state should increase its support for MACV’s outreach and housing services.

MACV operates housing and outreach programs in Mankato, Duluth, and the Twin Cities. MACV reports that estimates suggest that close to 4,000 Minnesota veterans will experience homelessness this year. Those wishing to learn more about MACV and those who would like to support its mission can visit http://www.mac-v.org/index.html

We must stand beside those who stood up for our country.  MACV offers an outstanding, successful range of services and support for our veterans. I am gratified that the House committee shares this concern and respect for our veterans and that funding for these programs is enhanced in the House bill.

Helping disabled veterans continue to solicit clothing donations is another initiative that Representative Morrow is pursuing this year. The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) organization operates the DAV Thrift enterprise, which asks for clothing donations that are then sold for funds that support DAV operations. More information on this program can be found at

http://www.davmnthriftpickup.org/app/davMN.pickup.public/default.aspx

The DAV learned that Minnesota law on automated telephone calls is inconsistent with federal law, which permits such calls by charities and those that are not for sales purposes. Because I am working with the DAV on other veterans issues and because I was on the Telecommunications Committee last year, I am happy to help create a solution that allows the DAV to continue supporting our veterans.

(more…)

Representative Terry Morrow announces that Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) Commissioner Thomas Sorel has agreed to visit Winthrop, Minnesota to discuss freight rail, the Minnesota Prairie Line, and MnDOT’s transportation planning process.

Friday, April 17
1:30-3:30 p.m.
Winthrop Veteran’s Club
206 N. Main Street
Winthrop, MN

Representative Morrow worked with the Minnesota Valley Regional Rail Coalition and its chair, Rob Edwards, to set up the public meeting. The Minnesota Prairie Line (MPL) goes through five counties– Carver, Sibley, Renville, Redwood, and Yellow Medicine—along the 93.4 mile short line MPL. The MPL runs within one block of the Winthrop Veteran’s Club.

Working with the rail coalition has demonstrated that public and private individuals and groups can come together to rebuild our rails and build our economy. Commissioner Sorel’s visit is an exciting opportunity to hear about his vision for Minnesota’s transportation system and for our area to share our vision for the Minnesota Prairie Line.

The Minnesota Valley Regional Rail Authority received $3 million in the 2008 state bonding bill to replace rail and other improvements along the MPL. This year, the Minnesota House and Senate bonding committees heard bills from Representative Morrow and Senator Kathy Sheran to continue the improvements. The Minnesota House and Senate both include $5 million of bonding support in their Capital Investments (bonding) bills.

Freight rail encourages job growth as it reduces shipping costs. We have seen the fruit of our efforts as businesses such as Winfield Solutions are choosing to build their businesses along freight rail like the Minnesota Prairie Line. Commissioner Sorel’s leadership at MnDOT offers exciting confirmation that MnDOT includes freight rail in its plans for helping Minnesota create jobs.”

Representative Morrow is a member of the House Transportation Finance Committee and the House Transportation Policy and Oversight Committee. He serves on the MnDOT State Rail Plan policy committee, which will participate in creating Minnesota’s state rail plan by the end of 2009. More about the state rail plan process can be found at http://www.dot.state.mn.us/planning/railplan/

Terry and MnDOT Commissioner Thomas Sorel

at last summer’s MnDOT hearing in Mankato

(Mankato Free Press)