Al Franken's Blog, page 25
October 11, 2015
Fox 9 News: Sen. Al Franken wants college textbooks to be free, online
Ask any parent and college student about the cost of college these days and you’ll get an earful. It was even a hot topic at the state capitol this week. And now, Senator Al Franken (DFL-Minnesota) is trying to reduce the costs of at least one aspect of college, those text books.
Student loan debt in Minnesota is about $30,000; it’s the fifth highest student loan debt in the nation. And it’s a reflection on the rising costs of college, and even lawmakers are taking notice.
“It is a very big problem,” Franken said.
The senator introduced legislation this week to set up a competitive grant program for colleges to allow professors to write open-sourced textbooks for distribution on the web.
The post Fox 9 News: Sen. Al Franken wants college textbooks to be free, online appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
October 2, 2015
My 40th Wedding Anniversary
Franni and I are celebrating our 40th anniversary. As a gift to her, I’m telling the story of how we met. A story she’s heard a thousand, thousand times.
So it’s maybe more of a gift to you. But it’s a pretty good story.
Click to watch the video.
Franni — I love you very much. You’re a great partner, a great mom, and a wonderful grandmother. Happy Anniversary.
And to all the rest of you — enjoy the video.
-Al
The post My 40th Wedding Anniversary appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
September 17, 2015
Brainerd Dispatch: Franken introduces worker protection proposal
U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., helped introduce new legislation Wednesday intended to strengthen protections for workers who want to raise wages and improve workplace conditions.
The Workplace Action for a Growing Economy (WAGE) Act, originally sponsored by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., would amend the National Labor Relations Act with the intent of helping to ensure workers have a voice in the workplace, and would crack down on employers who break the law when workers exercise their basic right to collective action.
“We rely on workers in Minnesota and around the country to stay competitive in an increasingly global economy,” Franken said in a release. “But unfortunately, our laws don’t always do enough to support middle-class families or those aspiring to be in the middle class. My job on the Employment and Workplace Safety Subcommittee is to fix that problem, which is what our new legislation would help to do. The WAGE Act gives workers a stronger voice in the workplace by bolstering protections for all workers, union and non-union, who want to bargain for better wages and a safer workplace.”
The post Brainerd Dispatch: Franken introduces worker protection proposal appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
September 12, 2015
The Great Minnesota Get-Together
Here it is, folks. The video you’ve all been waiting for. Me eating Sweet Potato Tacos — the Minnesota State Fair Snack you picked for me.
They were really good. Which is not surprising — the food at the State Fair is always top notch. You couldn’t have made a bad choice for me.
But besides the food, my favorite part of the Fair is the people. The families. And all the Minnesotans I get to meet.
This Fair was actually very special for the Franken family. It was my grandson Joe’s first one. He got to experience all the excitement, culture, and tradition of the Great Minnesota Get-Together, just as Minnesota families have been doing for over 150 years. Of course he’s a toddler so he was more interested in the farm animals than the food stands.
The State Fair is one of the great Minnesota traditions. I’m glad I get to go every year. And I’m glad that I have all of you to tell me what to eat.
– Al
The post The Great Minnesota Get-Together appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
September 8, 2015
DL-Online – Sen. Franken launches project to record MN veterans’ memories
On Military Appreciation Day at the Minnesota State Fair, U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) announced a new initiative to recruit Minnesota war veterans to take part in the national “Veterans History Project” to collect and preserve their personal accounts so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war.
Sen. Franken is also promoting the effort at his State Fair booth this week, to ensure that the voices of as many Minnesota war veterans as possible are part of the national Veterans History Project archives being collected by the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
The archives are available to everyone, including veterans and their families, as well as students studying American history and academic scholars researching American war efforts.
The post DL-Online – Sen. Franken launches project to record MN veterans’ memories appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
September 1, 2015
Star Tribune – Al Franken, Tammy Baldwin: Avoiding an oil train explosion shouldn’t be a matter of luck
As U.S. senators — one from Minnesota and one from Wisconsin — we have always understood how important railroads are to the economy in each of our states. Our businesses and farmers rely upon rail service as a reliable way to move their products to markets across the country and around the world.
But on Wednesday, at a meeting in Minneapolis, we’ll hear from residents and local officials who have deep concerns about the dramatic expansion of rail cars carrying highly volatile and flammable crude oil from the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota through Minnesota and Wisconsin to refineries in other states.
While the quick growth in oil trains has meant higher profits for the large railroads and skyrocketing tax revenue for the state of North Dakota, it also has put hundreds of communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin at risk for the explosive crashes that come when an oil train derails.
The post Star Tribune – Al Franken, Tammy Baldwin: Avoiding an oil train explosion shouldn’t be a matter of luck appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
August 31, 2015
St. Cloud Times: Resources strained, mental illness tightens its grasp
When St. Cloud police arrested Solomon Roundtree after his roommate was beaten and kicked to the brink of death, it wasn’t the first time he had been jailed for actions linked to his declining mental health.
And when he was committed as mentally ill as part of the subsequent criminal prosecution, that wasn’t the first time, either. It was another in a string of incidents that has seen him committed and released back into the community, only to be re-arrested, jailed and charged with a new crime.
The post St. Cloud Times: Resources strained, mental illness tightens its grasp appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
August 28, 2015
Duluth News Tribune: Washington Post reporter visits nation’s ‘ugliest’ Red Lake County
As a journalist, it’s Christopher Ingraham’s job to ask questions.
But it was Red Lake County residents who had a few questions for him Thursday, namely: “What do you think of our county now?”
Ingraham is the Washington Post reporter who infamously wrote last week that a U.S. Department of Agriculture index ranked Red Lake County as the “absolute worst place to live in America,” based on its natural features.
The online backlash was immediate, with residents tweeting scenic photos of their home county. Even U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., got in on the criticism.
The post Duluth News Tribune: Washington Post reporter visits nation’s ‘ugliest’ Red Lake County appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
August 13, 2015
CNN – Al Franken: Why I support Iran deal
After careful review, I have decided that I will vote in support of the agreement the United States and our international partners reached with Iran last month.
It’s not a conclusion I came to lightly. Since the deal was announced, I’ve consulted with nuclear and sanctions experts inside and outside government; Obama administration officials, including Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz; ambassadors from the other countries that negotiated alongside us; advocates for Israel on both sides of the issue; my constituents in Minnesota; and, of course, my colleagues in the Senate.
The post CNN – Al Franken: Why I support Iran deal appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
August 11, 2015
Post Bulletin: Workforce training program wins praise from Franken
During a visit to Rochester on Monday, Sen. Al Franken commended the city for its efforts to provide technical education and training to high school students.
The comment came as he sat around a table with 13 stakeholders in the Community Technical Education Center at Heintz.
The senator toured RCTC’s Heintz Center and learned about the city-wide collaboration between local educators and businesses. The Community Technical Education Center at Heintz, or CTECH, plans to address Rochester’s workforce need through career training programs and apprenticeships for students.
The post Post Bulletin: Workforce training program wins praise from Franken appeared first on U.S. Senator Al Franken, Minnesota -- Official Campaign Website.
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