Today, Governor Dayton proposed expanding the Minnesota GI Bill to provide thousands of Veterans access to new job training.

In a highly-competitive job market, Veterans often need additional education and skills training to reenter the workforce. This need for continued educational development is not limited to recent Veterans and by expanding the Minnesota GI Bill; Governor Dayton will make sure all Veterans have access to the job skills they need to be successful in today’s economy.

Every year, thousands of Minnesotans dutifully and nobly serve their state and nation as members of the armed forces. Governor Mark Dayton believes it is our state’s duty to ensure these men and women have the support they need to succeed when they return home.  In the next legislative session, Governor Dayton and the Legislature have an opportunity to work together on behalf of these Veterans and all Minnesotans.

Governor Dayton has outlined two initiatives that he will ask the Legislature to support:

• Expand the GI Bill: Currently the MN GI Bill applies only to Veterans who served after 9/11 and the families of deceased or qualifying disabled Veterans. Governor Dayton’s proposal would expand the qualifications so that all Minnesota Veterans can access the training they need to get good jobs. 

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Governor Dayton has proclaimed Friday, November 11, 2011, Veterans Day in Minnesota, recognizing and appreciating all that has been given and sacrificed by America's Veterans in order to ensure that all Americans enjoy the blessings of freedom and liberty.

Many Minnesotans have paid the supreme sacrifice in defense of the freedom and liberty that we enjoy every day and which people around the world long for.

Although the debt we owe to America’s Veterans can never be fully repaid, Veterans Day marks a time to gratefully recognize and appreciate all that has been given and sacrificed by those Americans and Minnesotans who dedicated their lives to defending our country and its principles.

To view the proclamation, click here.

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The Minnesota Department of Transportation announced today that it received a $1.18 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration to help improve transportation options and mobility for Minnesota’s veterans, service members, their families and other Minnesota residents.

“It is very appropriate that we acknowledge this grant two days before Veterans Day,” said MnDOT Commissioner Tom Sorel. “This will help us expand needed transportation services for our veterans and their families. The application was a collaborative project and we greatly appreciate the work of all of our partners.”

The grant is from the USDOT Veterans Transportation and Community Living Initiative Capital Grants Program.

To read the full news release, click here.

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A new Star Tribune Minnesota Poll released this morning says that a majority of Minnesotans — 52 percent — approve of the way Governor Dayton is handling the job.

According to the poll:

The poll shows Dayton doing best among Democrats and older Minnesotans. Seventy-six percent of Democrats registered approval. Among Minnesotans 65 and older, 67 percent approve of the job he's doing -- his highest marks among any demographic group.

"I'm two months away from 65, so they are my peers," joked the governor, who was the oldest Minnesota governor to be elected.

More seriously, Dayton said, "I think the elderly have memories that go back further than young people." They have watched him for more than three decades, he said, and "understand my sincerity."

Norman Heitz, 75, of Minneapolis, said he believes Dayton "wants to get some real work done."

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Governor Dayton has proclaimed this week, November 7-11, 2011, as Minnesotans Salute Veterans and Diversity Week — encouraging schools, businesses, individuals, state and local governments, and local community providers to work together to promote awareness of the many contributions of Veterans and the value of diversity in our communities.

Veterans make significant contributions to Minnesota and the United States. The active and selfless participation of members of all races, genders, creeds, and national origins in the United States Army and Armed Forces contributes to the strength of our nation and makes Minnesota a better place to live.

Governor Dayton honors the achievements and sacrifice of Minnesota's veterans and recognizes the strength that diversity adds to our armed forces and our state.

To view the proclamation, click here.

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Today, Governor Mark Dayton spoke to the media about Sen. David Hann's decision to block the use of nearly $25 million of federal funds to help thousands of sick, disabled, and elderly people throughout our state.

The grants to the Sate Departments of Health and Human Services would provide funding to connect 5,000 cancer-afflicted Minnesota children and their parents to potentially life-saving research and offer lower cost care alternatives to 17,000 Minnesotans with Alzheimer's disease.

Forum Communications highlighted some of the other impacts of Sen. Hann's decision:

Dayton and his commissioners said thousands of Minnesota could lose health assistance in the next five years, including:

– Those who could benefit from $18 million in aid to people with chronic diseases.

– Children who could receive cancer diagnosis quicker.

– More than a million Minnesotans who use private wells for drinking water; a federal program provides money to manage the wells.

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Governor Dayton has proclaimed November, 2011 as Diabetes Month, encouraging Minnesotans to join the American Diabetes Association's Stop Diabetes movement to confront, fight, and most importantly, change the future of the deadly disease.

Diabetes is a serious disease with life-threatening complications such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease and amputation.

In the United States, nearly 26 million people have diabetes and an additional 79 million people are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Recent estimates project that as many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes in 2050 if current trends continue.

An increase in community awareness is necessary to fight and put a stop to this trend.

To view the proclamation, click here.

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Today the Minnesota Department of Commerce announced that Governor Dayton appointed 15 members to the Governor's Task Force on Broadband, which will be charged with developing policies to promote the expansion of broadband access in Minnesota — including an action plan for identifying and correcting disparities in urban, rural, and suburban communities.

“For the short- and long-term success of our economy, every school, business, and consumer in Minnesota must have affordable, high-speed access to information and the online marketplace,” said Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman. “That is what the work of this Task Force is all about.”

Members of the Task Force represent a balance of broadband interests, including consumers, business and residential users, educational and health care institutions, traditional telephone and cable companies, wireless providers as well as metro and rural local units of government. The Task Force was established by Executive Order 11-27.

For a list of Task Force Members, click here.

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Last month, Governor Dayton unveiled a new approach to government reform in Minnesota, a comprehensive, ongoing effort the administration calls Better Government for a Better Minnesota. The Pioneer Press recently sat down with the Governor’s chief of staff Tina Smith and the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Administration, Spencer Cronk, to talk in more detail about the initiative and meaningful reforms already underway.

An article published today highlighted some of the important takeaways:

“There are great people working in state government, but they are working in systems that are all messed up," Smith said. "Old laws, old programs that were designed over 50 years ago in some cases."

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Two weeks upon returning from a trade mission to China, Lieutenant Governor Yvonne Prettner Solon is still feeling good about the progress made, the discussions had, and the relationships built during the weeklong trip that took place in October. 

In a discussion with Politics in Minnesota published yesterday, the Lieutenant Governor shared her thoughts on important outcomes that came out of the China visit.

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