Summer Update August 12, 2014 Connect with Me

Summer Update
Greetings,
As the summer months quickly pass us by and we soon enjoy the new foods
at the Minnesota State Fair, I want to provide you with a brief periodic update
on my work during the legislative interim. It has been a busy summer as we
celebrated the opening of the Green Line Light Rail, enjoyed the annual 4th of
July parade in Edina and I traveled with a U.S. Department of State delegation
to Northern Ireland. I continue to meet with constituents and visit local businesses. I appreciate the invitations to events throughout the district and the
continued engagement with my office. As always, please feel free to contact
me whenever I can be of assistance.
Sincerely,
August 12, 2014
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MelisaLFranzen
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Melisa Franzen
American Council of Young Political Leaders
In June, I had the honor of being selected to join the American Council of
Young Political Leaders (ACYPL) on an exchange program with Northern Ireland. The goal of this U.S. Department of State program is to promote mutual
understanding, respect and friendship and to cultivate long lasting relationships among young political leaders around the world. I had the opportunity to
meet many government leaders in Belfast including the Speaker of the Assembly and members of the Democratic Unionist Party, the Sinn Fein Party, the
Ulster Unionist Party, the Social Democratic and Labour Party, and Alliance
Party. We also met the Taoiseach when we visited the Houses of Oireachtas in
Dublin, Ireland. The exchange gave me an opportunity to experience Northern
Ireland’s cultural heritage and political system. It was fascinating to get a firsthand look at their shared political system and continued progress on the
peace process.
Green Line Light Rail
The Green Line opened this spring with a great celebration taking place along
each of the line’s 18 new stations. Metro Transit offered free rides for Minnesotans to jump on and learn how the line can impact daily commutes and the
surrounding community. Even though we were hit by one of the many spring
storms, thousands of people made their way downtown to join the fun. After
just four weeks of operation, the average weekday ridership on the Green Line
was 30,264 passengers. These ridership levels beat the Metropolitan Council’s
projections that the trains would carry 27,500 weekday riders by 2015. These
numbers put the Green Line on par with the state’s other light rail line, the
Blue Line, which averaged 30,585 in 2013 and began service in 2004.
4th of July Parade
I would like to thank the Edina Community Foundation and the City of Edina
for organizing the 4th of July parade. This year’s “a salute to Edina’s volunteers” theme was a great way to thank everyone in our community that goes
out of their way to help others. The parade officials wanted to expand the roster of grand marshals to additional deserving people. To recognize volunteers,
civic groups and nonprofits, the parade honored four grand marshals in total.
The Edina Chamber of Commerce, Edina Federated Women's Club, Edina
Lion's Club, and Rotary Club of Edina all nominated a grand marshal from their
ranks. Parades are always a great way to show our pride in the community
and this year was no different. Thank you to everyone that joined in on the
fun this year. If you missed out, please join us next summer.
Sen. Franzen with volunteers at the
Edina 4th of July Parade
Sen. Franzen attending the U.S. Consulate Independence
Day Garden Party in Belfast with WWII veteran, Bob Wright
and fellow ACYPL delegate, Chanelle Hardy.
Aviation Noise Monitoring Update
In May, I attended a community meeting at Edina City Council hosted by the Concord Neighborhood Association to discuss community concerns regarding aviation noise. Rep. Ron Erhardt and I proposed a bill last session to monitor aviation noise to respond to
constituent concerns about current and future aviation noise and to support city efforts to obtain baseline data. Recently, the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) agreed to monitor aviation noise in Edina and St. Louis Park this fall for a period of two weeks. MAC
staff will report the results of the monitoring to the Edina and St. Louis Park city councils and to the State Legislature.
These measurements will provide a baseline from which to measure any change when RNAV is implemented for arrivals early
next year. Edina will host monitoring equipment in two locations, measuring noise from departing flights. Edina City Manager Scott Neal
and City Council Member Joni Bennett met on July 16 to discuss potential locations with MAC staff. After examining flight density maps,
the group concluded that the biggest concentrations of flights over Edina are over the southeast and southwest quadrants and the
north and south edges of the northeast quadrant (adjacent to the St. Louis Park border and to TH62/Crosstown Highway). The group
acknowledged that although residents in the northwest quadrant report experiencing more overflights than in the past, MAC operations
reports show much greater density of flights over the northeast, southeast and southwest quadrants.
MAC staff emphasized that optimal locations for aviation noise monitoring equipment are on public land for accessibility and security, and away from sources of noise that will interfere with accurate measurement (e.g., freeways, construction projects). Areas
north of TH62/Crosstown Highway experiencing dense overflights were eliminated from discussion due to noise interference and the
measurement already provided by remote monitoring towers in Minneapolis adjacent to the northeast quadrant. MAC staff defines the
coverage radius of an RMT as two miles. MAC staff will visit the sites identified in the meeting, and choose monitoring sites based on
their ability to safely and effectively host the temporary remote monitoring equipment. To reduce the risk that the equipment will be
tampered with and the results invalidated, the exact locations will not be publicized until after the monitoring is completed.
New Laws effective August 1st
First Minimum Wage Step Increase
August 1 marked the first minimum wage increase step. Now set at $8, the increase was the first in nearly a decade. The next two steps will take
place in August of 2015 and August of 2016 when it will be set at $9.50 an hour. After January of 2018, the rate will be indexed to inflation based
on economic conditions.
 Cesar Chavez Day
March 31 has officially been designated Cesar Chavez Day in Minnesota. Cesar Chavez Day remembers the union leader and community organizer
and is intended to celebrate and encourage people to learn more about the Latino community in Minnesota.
 Banning the Sale of E-Cigarettes at Mall Kiosks
New legislation will phase out the sales of e-cigarettes at mall kiosks. Kiosks will no longer be able to sell "tobacco, tobacco-related devices or electronic-delivery devices". Owners of kiosks who entered into a contract after May 1 have until January 1 to operate these kiosks.
 Changes to Court-Ordered Parenting Time
Court-ordered parenting time plans reached during a divorce will now be allowed to be modified over time in an attempt to meet a child's best interest and changing developmental needs.
 In-State Tuition for Military Vets
All military veterans who have been honorably discharged from the U.S. armed forces became eligible for in-state tuition at Minnesota's public colleges and universities.
 Tougher Penalties for Illegal Wolf Hunting
Individuals that illegally kill a wolf will now see tougher penalties in Minnesota. Hunters who have at least one prior conviction for unlawfully killing
a wolf are liable for a civil penalty equal to the restitution value of the wolf. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is also required to
compile a list that details known wolf killings.
 72 Hours for Warrantless Arrests of Domestic Abusers
Law enforcement officials now have 72 hours to make an arrest of domestic abusers in gross misdemeanor and misdemeanor cases (officials previously had 24 hours). This additional time will prevents perpetrators from simply hiding out until the 24 hours have passed and return home to
abuse again.
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More new laws taking effect on August 1st can be found here: http://goo.gl/3vpy2V
American Heart Association “Legislator of the Year” Award
In June, the American Heart Association (AHA)
honored Senator Franzen as “Legislator of the
Year.” The designation was in response to her
work supporting and funding a state-based
Safe Routes to School program. Minnesota became the third state in the nation to invest
state funds in the infrastructure to make it
safer for children to walk and bike to school.
Through this program, communities and
schools can now receive funding to support
efforts in making it safer for students to walk
or bike to school even in the snow!
A link to the AHA article can be found here:
Members of the American Heart Association present Sen. Franzen with
Legislator of the Year Award
http://goo.gl/DchD2p
Sen. Franzen receives the American Heart
Association Legislator of the Year Award