Speaking at the Department of Human Services Tuesday, Lt. Governor Yvonne Prettner Solon outlined Minnesota’s Olmstead Plan, which will help improve the quality of life enjoyed by Minnesotans with disabilities.

The plan lays out the state’s goals to ensure that Minnesotans with disabilities have the freedom and opportunity to live independently, to contribute to the workforce, and to become fully integrated into their communities.

“Those who can live independently should own the choice to live on their own,” the Lt. Governor said. “As a state, we should be doing everything we can to make that possible.”
The Olmstead Plan takes its name from the 1999 United States Supreme Court decision Olmstead v. L.C. The decision ruled that unjustified segregation of persons with disabilities constitutes discrimination in violation of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. In January 2013, Governor Dayton created an Olmstead Sub-Cabinet to oversee the implementation of a plan to better meet the needs of persons with disabilities living in Minnesota.

On Tuesday, Lt. Governor Prettner Solon, chair of the Olmstead Sub-Cabinet, said that once implemented the plan will have a profound impact on the lives of Minnesotans.

“More and more Minnesotans with disabilities will have the courage, skills, and support to step forthrightly into their communities, work with purpose and dignity in our local businesses, and reach with confidence for their highest aspirations,” she said.
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Lt. Governor Yvonne Prettner Solon recently visited the 148th Fighter Wing in Duluth, Minnesota and experienced the full-workings of the facility, including a tour, safety and survival skills training. The visit culminated in a ride in an F-16 Fighter Jet. The Lieutenant Governor donned an anti-gravity suit, or G suit, and rode in the F16, experiencing complex aerial maneuvers – even taking the wheel at one point.

The Lieutenant Governor said she was impressed with “the precision, expertise and professional capabilities of both ground and air personnel” and that she feels “confident that Minnesota has a superior National Guard”.

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On Tuesday, September 25, 2012 at the state Capitol, Lieutenant Governor Yvonne Prettner Solon joined the U.S. Army Parachute Team, nicknamed the "Golden Knights," in a tandem skydive exercise in St. Paul. In a show of support for the men and women who serve our nation in uniform, Lt. Governor Prettner Solon jumped from an altitude of 12,500 feet and fell at a rate of 120 miles per hour before making a safe landing on the lower mall of the Minnesota State Capitol grounds.

Following the jump, Prettner Solon joined Governor Mark Dayton and Secretary of State Mark Ritchie for a Community Covenant signing ceremony, collectively demonstrating their support for military service members and their families. Community Covenant is an initiative that began in 2008, inviting communities across America to show their support for military families in a time of war. The ceremony included a brief moment of silence for the Minnesotans who have given their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003.

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-Lieutenant Governor Yvonne Prettner Solon during her trip to Germany 

This week, Lieutenant Governor Yvonne Pretter Solon is leading a 16-member delegation in Germany, joined by Iowa’s Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds.  The delegation is made up of experts from Minnesota and Iowa that will study Germany’s energy and power systems, in the search for finding more energy efficient methods that could aid in creating and maintaining a more sustainable Minnesota.  
   
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A group of experts from Minnesota and Iowa are in Germany this week learning about energy solutions that could help Minnesota. The trip is organized by the University of Minnesota’s Center for German and European Studies together with Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economics and Germany’s Foreign office. The group will hear from both Germany’s economics and environment ministries in hopes to learn more about their renewable energy projects.
 

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This past Tuesday, June 12, Lieutenant Governor Yvonne Prettner Solon showed her support for University Avenue’s locally-owned businesses when she attended “Lunch on the Avenue” at Ngon’s Bistro. Lieutenant Governor Solon met with business leaders from the Midway area including Midway Chamber of Commerce Board Chair Paul McGinley and representatives from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) and the Met Council. Others who attended include Robert McPherson, an insurance risk consultant with Western Insurance Agency in St. Paul and Chris Ferguson, President and CEO of Bywater Business Solutions in Minneapolis.

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Lt. Governor Prettner Solon convened the first meeting of the “Own Your Future” Advisory Panel, a group charged with guiding a statewide public awareness campaign to encourage Minnesotans to plan for the care they will need as they grow older.

The group aims to raise awareness of the importance of advance planning in ensuring that Minnesotans have more control and more choice in meeting their long-term health care needs. The focus of the panel is to develop and implement strategies to increase the number of Minnesotans who take action to address and provide for their future long-term care. “We need to engage all Minnesotans in thinking about how they will plan for and pay for the care they are likely to need as we, as a society, are living longer and growing older,” Prettner Solon said.

In addition the panel will aid in the development and review of materials for use by Minnesota employers, grassroots organizations and community groups, and provide outreach assistance in a public awareness effort. The Lieutenant Governor expressed gratitude “for the assistance […] of Minnesotans representing key sectors of labor, business, health care, the faith community and non-profit organizations” in working towards these goals.

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On Thursday morning Lt. Governor Yvonne Prettner Solon bought her fishing license at Marine General in Duluth. The Minnesota Fishing Opener is about two weeks away, and the Lt. Governor will be one of the half-million people on the waters on that day.

The Governor’s Fishing Opener is a tradition in Minnesota since 1948. The event was organized to promote the development of Minnesota’s recreation industry, and now it serves as a kick-off celebration to the state’s summer tourism season. Fishing accounts for a large part of the state’s tourism economy. The sport brings in $11.3 billion every year or about $31 million each day.

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Senior citizens are among the most vulnerable to fraud and financial abuse. Consumers over the age of 65 control 70 percent of the nation’s wealth, and crooks know it. In fact, each year con artists scam older Americans out of $2.5 billion.

To kick off Seniors Week of Financial Literacy Month, the Minnesota Department of Commerce, the Minnesota AARP, and the Office of the Lt. Governor are joining forces to raise awareness of fraud targeting older consumers and provide Minnesota seniors the information they need to protect their finances from the threat of financial abuse.

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This week Lt. Governor Prettner Solon traveled to Washington DC to take part in the National Lt. Governors Association spring meetings. The Lt. Governor currently serves as Midwest At-Large representative to the NLGA Executive Committee. 

At the meetings Lt. Governors from around the country talked about energy issues, health care policy, national debt, state-federal legal issues, and veteran services.  Lt. Governor Prettner Solon attended and participated in several meetings and panel discussions throughout the week.  The Lt. Governor was also on hand to present the GE Public Leadership in Energy and Environmental Stewardship award.  Last year, Lt. Governor Prettner Solon won the inaugural award, for her work on energy and environmental issues. 

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On Tuesday, Lt. Governor Yvonne Prettner Solon announced the launch of the Minnesota Nutritious Food Coalition, a program designed to promote the federal Food Support program and increase access to Minnesotans who are in need of healthy food options.

The Minnesota Nutritious Food Coalition is a public-private partnership and includes experts from the Minnesota Department of Human Services, University of Minnesota Extension, Greater Twin Cities United Way, Second Harvest Heartland, Hunger Solutions Minnesota, Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Minnesota Grocers Association, General Mills Foundation, county organizations, and numerous other state, business, nonprofit and community partners. This group will attempt to increase participation in the federally funded Food Support program by ensuring that all Minnesotans who are eligible for the program have access to it. Currently, only 65 percent of eligible Minnesotans received Food Support benefits; the Minnesota Nutritious Food Coalition will attempt to expand the program to reach more qualifying Minnesotans.

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