Kim Norton E-Newsletter 1/11/08
01/11/2008
Kim Norton E-Newsletter 1/11/08Dear Neighbors,
The November budget forecast revealed some sobering news - showing the state's job growth rate lagging behind the national average. In Minnesota, job growth is currently at 12,000 new jobs per year, while the national average is at 30,000 annually. In State Economist Tom Stinson's words, "Clearly the state needs more jobs." I couldn't agree more.
Despite these numbers, statistics indicate the situation is better in Olmsted County, and Rochester in particular. This is something the Rochester area can be proud of and shows the efforts and investments in this community are paying off.
In preparation for the 2008 legislative session, my legislative colleagues and I will be meeting with citizens and area business leaders to discuss the current condition and future of our regional and state economies - particularly small business, workforce, and entrepreneurial development efforts and how the state can better support these efforts.
Reps. Tina Liebling, and Andy Welti, Tom Rukavina, and Tim Mahoney with State Senators Ann Lynch, and David Senjem, will join me in looking to our region's citizens and successful business leaders to provide advice and guidance as we consider the state's role in fostering an economic climate that supports small businesses, workforce development, and entrepreneurial growth.
I encourage you and all citizens of the Rochester area to attend this important public forum:
Monday, January 14, 2008
12:30 - 2:00pm Room CF 206/208 The University Center, Rochester
I consider this meeting an opportunity to hear directly from the people of our community, and foster constructive public dialogue about the economic issues we are currently facing. Together we can make our communities, and this state, a better place to live.
Kim Norton State Representative
*CONSTITUENT MEETING THIS WEEKEND Second Saturday of the Month (January 12, 2008)
8:30 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Dunn Brothers Coffee
120 Elton Hills Drive NW, Rochester
2008 LEGISLATIVE SESSION Begins: February 12, 2008 Ends: May 19, 2008
STEPS FOR A HEALTHIER ROCHESTER Making our community a better place to live includes solid efforts at improving our quality of life - particularly our health and wellbeing as people. There is a lot that we can do together, and as individuals, to improve our own lives, and the lives of those around us.
The Rochester Steps Initiative, a program coordinated by the United States Department of Health, is seeking to do just that. Through community partnerships and research, this program is committed to providing our community with the ideas and resources to improve our lives and help us sustain healthy lifestyles. These efforts focus on reducing the burden of obesity, diabetes and asthma, and on the related risk factors of physical inactivity, poor nutrition and tobacco use.
I encourage you to visit the Rochester Steps Initiative website at http://www.stepstoahealthiermn.org/rochester and become actively involved in these innovative efforts to make Rochester a healthier place to live.
FLUORESCENT LIGHT BULBS Fluorescent light bulbs are gaining significant popularity among consumers as a longer lasting, more energy-efficient, and cost-effective means to light our homes. Using fluorescent light bulbs in our homes reduces our overall reliance on electric power, and saves us all money on our monthly electric bills. But it is important to remember that when we use fluorescent bulbs, they need to be disposed of properly.
Many consumers are unaware of the fact that fluorescent light bulbs contain mercury, or that it's against the law to throw them in the garbage. Mercury exposure is harmful to humans, particularly children. Mercury is a neurotoxin and can have a particularly dangerous effect on fetal development. Young children are 4 to 5 times more sensitive to mercury because their nervous systems are still developing. By recycling fluorescent light bulbs, consumers can take 100 pounds of mercury out of Minnesota's environment every year.
To dispose of your fluorescent bulbs properly, bring them to the Olmsted County Hazardous Waste Facility at 305 Silver Creek Road NE in Rochester. The facility is open Monday through Saturday from 8:00am to
5:00pm.
If you have any additional questions about fluorescent light bulbs, or how to dispose of them properly, please don?t hesitate to contact me.
MINNESOTA RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR CITIZEN-INSPIRED LEGISLATION I will be in our nation's Capitol this Thursday for a ceremony sponsored by the United States Environmental Protection Agency recognizing Minnesota for being a nation-leading model for the prevention of harmful human exposure to radon - a natural, odorless, and dangerous gas responsible for 15% of all lung cancer.
The EPA is recognizing Minnesota for a public health initiative I authored last session (HF993) in coordination with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), that now requires radon ventilation systems to be installed in all new homes in Minnesota before they are sold. It's a great honor for our state to be recognized by the EPA for this important public health initiative.
Radon exposure is a serious issue that is often overlooked. According to a 2006 Surgeon General report, radon is responsible for approximately
20,000 deaths per year - the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. The American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest cites the fact that radon gas can travel through soil and enter homes virtually undetected through gaps in the foundation, pipes, drains, or other openings. The EPA estimates that one out of every 15 homes in the U.S. contains dangerous levels of radon gas - 1 in 3 in Minnesota.
By taking the necessary, cost-effective steps to prevent exposure to radon in the first place, Minnesota is now armed with effective tools to promote public health and significantly mitigate the risks associated with natural exposure to this dangerous gas. Minnesota's efforts are now being recognized as a proper and necessary course of action by legislators across the country, particularly the Midwest where radon levels are especially high, to protect people from the harmful effects of dangerous radon exposure.
Three years ago a Rochester resident brought this issue to my attention when I was door knocking. Like most people, he was unaware of the harmful effects of radon exposure until high levels of radon were found in his new home. More than that, he was shocked to find that the equipment necessary to protect his home and family from the harmful effects of radon, would cost between $2,000-$4,000 to install, when it would have cost less than $500 if it had been installed when the home was built. I'm glad he informed me about this issue, and I hope you will do the same with issues and concerns you have in the future. Together we can make our state a better place.
January is National Radon Action Month. More information about National Radon Action Month can be found online at the EPA website: http://www.epa.gov/radon/nram/index.html.
- Kim Norton
House of Representatives-29B