Al Franken's Blog, page 46

RELEASE: Senator Franken Endorsed By MN AFL-CIO, Carpenters, Steelworkers, AFSCME, SEIU

Contact:

Alexandra Fetissoff

Alexandra@alfranken.com

612-888-3221

ST. PAUL [08/11/14]— Today, Sen. Al Franken’s re-election campaign announced the endorsements of the Minnesota AFL-CIO and its more than 300,000 members, the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters, the United Steelworkers, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Councils 5 and 65 and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Minnesota State Council for the Senator’s hard work and commitment to building, protecting and strengthening Minnesota’s middle class.

In 2008, the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters endorsed former Sen. Norm Coleman.

“Senator Franken’s dedication to raising the minimum wage so working families don’t have to struggle to put food on the table and make ends meet is a testament to how much he cares and how hard he works for Minnesotans. We’re proud to stand behind Senator Franken,” said Shar Knutson, President of the Minnesota AFL-CIO.

“Senator Franken has proved to be a champion for working men and women and has earned our support for re-election. He’s been fighting to create good, family-supporting jobs and put people back to work across the state,” said John Raines, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters.

“The Steelworkers were the first union to endorse Senator Franken in 2008 and we’re proud to endorse him again today. Senator Franken has proven over the last five years that there is no stronger advocate for Minnesota middle-class families in the Senate than him,” said Emil Ramirez, Director, United Steelworkers District 11.

The campaign today also launched “Working Families for Al,” a grassroots group of working Minnesotans dedicated to organizing, building momentum across the state and talking to voters about the work Sen. Franken is doing on behalf of Minnesotans and to get our country back on track.

As a member of three unions himself, Sen. Franken understands that without labor, Minnesotans would not have weekends, minimum wage, paid sick leave and much more. The first action Sen. Franken took in the Senate hours after being sworn in was co-sponsoring the Employee Free Choice Act. He’s repeatedly supported and called on his Senate colleagues to raise the federal minimum wage for the first time in five years. And he’s been working tirelessly to get people back to work by bringing businesses and community colleges together to create programs that will equip people with the skills they need to fill open jobs.

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Did you see: “Sen. Franken in Worthington to see retrofits”

Sara Cederberg, Digital Director

Prairie Business has the latest on Al’s stop at the Blue Line Travel Center in Worthington to see the benefits of PACE—the Property Assessed Clean Energy program. A $75,000 project will outfit the site with new lighting to replace the current LED lighting on the property’s facade.

U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., a long-time supporter of energy retrofits and the PACE program, was on hand Thursday morning to congratulate Blue Line Travel Center owners Larry and Deb Potter, Worthington and the southwest region of the state for moving toward cleaner energy.

PACE allows business owners to finance clean energy improvements without having the up-front out-of-pocket expense associated with them. The energy savings will offset the payments 100 percent, often allowing the business to realize an immediate improvement in the bottom line.

Larry Potter said he decided to retrofit the truck stop after a seminar hosted by the Rural Minnesota Energy Board regarding PACE.

It was an idea he’d thought about for a long time but hadn’t been able to find the financing to make the idea come to life. With the money received through PACE, Potter can make the needed updates and looks forward to the energy savings he anticipates.

The PACE program loans commercial and industrial businesses money, which is repaid through special assessment, to increase their energy efficiency.

Franken congratulated the Potters on choosing to participate in the program.

“This is a big day,” Franken said. “Larry and Deb, thanks for being the first to use this PACE program here in the southwest and Worthington.”

Franken explained why he supports the PACE program in terms of job creation and as a source of promoting clean energy.

“It’s really a win-win situation,” Franken said. “Not only do you improve your energy efficiency and use less power, you save money. You save money every year once retrofits have been installed and then you can reinvest that money, whether it is in hiring other people or maybe expanding or making other improvements. That’s why I have been a champion of retrofits a long time.

“I’ve seen retrofits do a number of things. They create jobs,” Franken continued. “They improve the quality of the building — quality of working in the building. They enhance the value of your property. It’s win-win-win-win-win.”

Franken said it was “gratifying” to see the first project take shape in Worthington after attending a seminar here in 2012 on developing the PACE program.

“This (retrofitting) works,” he said. “This is something that we need to do. This is something we need to do to get our carbon footprint down. This is something that we need to do to get people to work.

“It’s something that we need to just keep doing. We’re going to do more and more retrofits. The faster the technology gets more efficient, the more we’ll do it and the more it will make sense to do it.”

Potter said he plans to get started on the lighting project after Labor Day once materials are received. In his presentation, Franken noted if this first project is successful, the Potters intend to make further improvements to the Travel Center.

Read more >>

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Did you see: “Portman, Franken work together to help eradicate homelessness among students”

Sara Cederberg, Digital Director

The Clermont Sun has the latest on a bipartisan bill Al is working on to make sure formerly homeless students and vets can qualify for affordable housing—something they currently don’t qualify for.

U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Al Franken (D-Minn.) introduced a bipartisan bill to make sure that young people and veterans who have faced homelessness don’t have to make the difficult choice between a place to call home and a good education.

This important legislative fix would close a loophole that prevents many full-time students—including veterans—from qualifying for affordable rental housing funded through a key tax credit. Sens. Franken and Portman’s proposal would allow full-time students who experience or have recently experienced homelessness to become eligible for low-income housing.

“Students shouldn’t have to choose between stable housing and going to school full-time,” said Portman. “This commonsense bill will improve the way we help low-income students by giving them access to stable and affordable housing while they attend school full-time so that they can go on to graduate and succeed.”

“We can’t make young people and veterans in Minnesota who have experienced homelessness make the difficult choice between housing or an education,” said Franken. “But right now, they’re being forced to put one above the other. Our bipartisan bill will fix this problem by giving students access to affordable housing while they pursue their education.”

The Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Program provides a reduction in tax liability for developers that build or rehabilitate affordable rental housing units. LIHTC has been used successfully to build properties intended to house individuals and families who experience homelessness. However, current law does not allow tenants, including homeless and formerly homeless individuals, to be full-time students.

The Housing for Homeless Students Act of 2014, introduced today by Portman and Franken, would fix that problem by allowing full-time students who experience or have recently experienced homelessness to become eligible—or retain eligibility—for LIHTC housing.

Read the full article >>

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The Clermont Sun: Portman, Franken work together to help eradicate homelessness among students

U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Al Franken (D-Minn.) introduced a bipartisan bill to make sure that young people and veterans who have faced homelessness don’t have to make the difficult choice between a place to call home and a good education.

This important legislative fix would close a loophole that prevents many full-time students—including veterans—from qualifying for affordable rental housing funded through a key tax credit. Sens. Franken and Portman’s proposal would allow full-time students who experience or have recently experienced homelessness to become eligible for low-income housing.

“Students shouldn’t have to choose between stable housing and going to school full-time,” said Portman. “This commonsense bill will improve the way we help low-income students by giving them access to stable and affordable housing while they attend school full-time so that they can go on to graduate and succeed.”

“We can’t make young people and veterans in Minnesota who have experienced homelessness make the difficult choice between housing or an education,” said Franken. “But right now, they’re being forced to put one above the other. Our bipartisan bill will fix this problem by giving students access to affordable housing while they pursue their education.”

The Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Program provides a reduction in tax liability for developers that build or rehabilitate affordable rental housing units. LIHTC has been used successfully to build properties intended to house individuals and families who experience homelessness. However, current law does not allow tenants, including homeless and formerly homeless individuals, to be full-time students.

The Housing for Homeless Students Act of 2014, introduced today by Portman and Franken, would fix that problem by allowing full-time students who experience or have recently experienced homelessness to become eligible—or retain eligibility—for LIHTC housing.

Read the full article >>

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West Central Tribune: Franken tours RELCO plant in Willmar

Linda Vanderwerf, West Central Tribune

Martin Munoz of Pennock used to work nights at Jennie-O Turkey Store, and he was working at turkey farms when he went to Employment Plus in Willmar looking for other opportunities.

Wednesday, he was at his first day on the job at RELCO of Willmar after completing a specialized welding training program at Ridgewater College. He liked it a lot so far, he said.

Munoz is one of eight new employees trained at Ridgewater.

Others include Tyler Kotlowski of Granite Falls and Dominick Staab of Willmar. They started Tuesday and were working their way through some safety training Wednesday afternoon.

“I think it’s a really great opportunity,” Kotlowski said, and Staab echoed that sentiment.

Kotlowski recently got out of the Air Force. Staab completed the auto body program at Ridgewater but realized it was not something he wanted to do long term. He appreciated the opportunity at RELCO, too, he said.

“This is exactly what we need to do,” said Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., after touring the RELCO plant. “We need to fill the skills gap.” RELCO designs, builds and installs processing equipment for the dairy industry all over the world.

Congress passed the first reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act since 1998 in July, in a bipartisan effort. The authorization included incentives to encourage businesses and community colleges to work together to train skilled workers.

“A lot wasn’t done in July,” Franken said. “This was.”

The recruitment and training of the new RELCO employees was a joint effort of the company, Employment Plus, the Minnesota Workforce Center and the college, all in Willmar.

After his tour, Franken met with representatives of the organizations involved in the training.

Franken has been an advocate of businesses and schools working together to reduce the “skills gap” which can leave manufacturers struggling to find skilled workers for their businesses.

Since he’s been in the Senate, he said, he’s seen the need for partnerships to provide skilled workers where they are needed.

Senators from nearly every state and from both parties could support the legislation, he said, as all had seen similar skills gaps in their own states.

The right training can put people on a path toward better jobs, he added.

Mary Warszynski of Employment Plus said she had the idea for the specialized training and approached Ridgewater’s head of customized training, Sam Bowen.

She and Bowen began visiting with employers, and RELCO general manager Luis Marin signed on nearly right away. He said that he would not only participate, the company wanted to have its own class with eight students.

The Workforce Center and Employment Plus recruited people for the program. Warszynski said she interviewed 100 people looking for the right people for the job. She said she looked for good people first, and sought out traits like dependability, persistence and curiosity.

The company paid for the training and paid the students while they attended the three-week full-time training course.

RELCO founder Loren Corle said he believes the program will work to its benefit, but it will be studied to gauge the actual return on investment. He told Franken that he feels the cooperative ventures should be carried out without using public funding.

“There’s all kinds of ways to fund this type of partnership,” Franken responded, and he agreed that he liked to see private employers have “skin in the game.”

Many different types of funding mechanisms can be used, Franken said, including foundations and nonprofits, as well as public funding. He said public funding could be used to provide needed equipment for the colleges doing the training.

RELCO is proud to make its own investment, Corle said. “We find we’re sharpest here when we’re working with our own money and with local people.”

Read the full article >>

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RELEASE: National Farmers Union PAC Endorses Sen. Franken

Contact:

Alexandra Fetissoff

Alexandra@alfranken.com

612-888-3221

ST. PAUL [08/06/14]— Today, Sen. Al Franken’s re-election campaign announced the endorsement of the National Farmers Union Political Action Committee (NATFARMPAC) for the Senator’s hard work to help Minnesota’s farmers and producers, the rural communities they live in and future generations of farmers that will carry on Minnesota’s long tradition as an agricultural leader.

“Family farmers know Senator Franken is working hard for them in the Senate, whether that’s successfully passing a bipartisan five-year Farm Bill, helping prevent another propane shortage or working to combat the PED virus,” said National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson. “We’re proud to endorse Senator Franken for re-election so he can keep working hard for all Minnesota families.”

In the Senate, Sen. Franken helped pass a bipartisan five-year Farm Bill and served as one of the key authors of the energy section, which invests in Minnesota’s massive renewable energy potential and will create jobs, grow our economy, and help wean us off of foreign oil. He also successfully strengthened the Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Program in the bill to help protect the future of agriculture in Minnesota.

He’s worked hard to prevent another propane shortage like the one that threatened thousands of Minnesota families, farmers and businesses this winter — including introducing the bipartisan Propane Supply and Security Act just last week; he’s repeatedly stood up for Minnesota when over-burdensome federal regulations unnecessarily threatened the well being of producers, businesses and communities; and he’s worked hard to address poor rail service in the Upper Midwest that has affected Minnesota farmers and businesses.

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“The Internet is our modern ‘Main Street’”

Sara Cederberg, Digital Director

For Karen Stupic, a small business owner in the West Seventh Neighborhood of St. Paul, the impact of free and open Internet on her business is clear.

Karen launched Access 2 Tanzania with her husband Brian in 2004, a travel agency that specializes in helping travelers plan fully customized trips to Tanzania. Brian had fallen in love with the country after living there for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer, and launched his own non-profit — Project Zawadi — that continues to provide educational opportunities to orphaned and other vulnerable children in Tanzania.

Of course, Karen knew her new venture would have to attract customers across the globe to be successful — and getting the word out on the Internet was an effective way to do it. It’s often the first place people go to find information on travel to Tanzania.

“Ten years ago, we built a small website and had an idea of how we wanted our business to stand out from others in the field. Through a lot of hard work, we have built our business and its reputation through word of mouth on the Internet.”

Access 2 Tanzania’s daily operations are particularly dependent on the Internet in a way that the traditional storefront might not. With staff in St. Paul and on the ground in Tanzania, email and video conferencing is at the heart of their business communication and collaboration.

That’s why FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler’s recently proposed rules — which would allow content providers to purchase Internet “fast lanes” and threaten the very concept of net neutrality — could directly impact their bottom line.

“We would be crippled if our broadband access was undermined or surcharged heavily. We are already at a disadvantage since half of our business is conducted in Tanzania, where service can be slow or unreliable. Now imagine if our connection here in St. Paul were affected…that would result in a double blow to our ability to operate efficiently.”

What’s more — connection speeds could impact load times on their website — which Karen knows are important to keeping a potential customer’s attention.

“We all know that a website that ‘loads slowly’ is normally navigated away from almost within seconds. Blocking or putting small businesses in the ‘slow lane’ is basically the equivalent of killing small business in the modern age. The Internet is our modern ‘Main Street’ that needs to be open to all, so that consumers can freely ‘window shop’ without obstruction. And we’re thankful Senator Franken gets this — and is fighting to protect it.”

Help to ensure that Al can keep working hard to protect net neutrality – join Team Franken today.

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The Hill: Senate bill targets propane shortages

Three Midwestern senators introduced a bill Thursday aimed at preparing for and mitigating propane shortages like the one that hit their region this past winter.

Sens. Al Franken (D-Minn.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) said their bill would improve propane supply and pricing information, better coordinate shortage responses, study whether propane reserves should be established and help farmers get propane storage tanks.

“This bipartisan bill will help us respond more quickly to future shortages and it will help prevent them in the first place,” Franken said in a statement.

Read the full article >>

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New ad highlights passage of job training law

Matt Burgess, Campaign Manager

Today we released our latest TV ad that focuses on the hard work Al is doing for Minnesota. The ad highlights Al’s successful efforts to help pass a major bipartisan workforce training bill that will help Minnesotans get jobs.

The 30-second ad, titled “Signed into Law,” is now running statewide. You can watch the ad here: http://youtu.be/hgwHVTv6rvY

Al championed and helped pass the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, a bipartisan workforce bill that includes provisions he worked hard to get into the legislation. Those provisions will bolster partnerships between manufacturers and community and technical colleges to train people with the right skills for the more than 3 million jobs that sit open in Minnesota and across the country.

This is a huge win for Minnesota small businesses and workers looking to fill the well-paying high-skilled jobs available across the state. It’s the first major reform to our nation’s workforce development system in 16 years.

You may remember our first ad featured Elizabeth Abraham, a small business owner in Blaine struggling to find trained workers. Now, less than three months later, Al’s hard work has turned into concrete results that will help Abraham and small business owners across Minnesota.

Al’s worked hard for us — now it’s time to work hard for him. Join Team Franken today.

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RELEASE: African-American community leaders launch grassroots campaign for Al

Alexandra Fetissoff, Communications Director

ST. PAUL [07/30/14]— Today, Sen. Al Franken’s re-election campaign announced the launch of “African Americans for Al,” a grassroots group of more than 150 influential community members coming together to talk to voters about the hard work Al is doing to fight for economic justice and greater opportunity for all Minnesotans.

The group kicked off their launch at the 31st annual Rondo Days and will continue with events in communities across the state to engage, mobilize and empower voters ahead of November. Ramsey County Commissioner Toni Carter, State Sen. Bobby Joe Champion, State Sen. Jeff Hayden, State Rep. Rena Moran and civil rights leader Dr. Josie Johnson will serve as co-chairs.

“There are too many jobs that sit empty in America because people don’t have the skills they need to fill them. Senator Franken’s work to support partnerships between businesses and community colleges to give people the skills they need to fill these jobs is critical to improving our communities,” said State Sen. Hayden.

“Senator Franken’s commitment to making sure thousands of Minnesota families have access to quality health care has been an important step toward making our communities even better. Our work is far from over, and that’s why we need to make sure Senator Franken is re-elected in November,” said State Rep. Moran.

“Senator Franken works hard every day to make life better for Minnesotans, whether that’s tackling the achievement gap, fighting for college affordability or working to put an end to the foreclosure crisis. We need him fighting for our families in the Senate,” said Commissioner Carter.

“Senator Franken saw the devastation that happened in communities all across Minnesota during the 2008 financial collapse. His dedication to protecting Minnesota families and taking on Wall Street and the credit rating agencies for their shady practices is why we need him fighting for us in the Senate,” said State Sen. Champion.

“Senator Franken is a strong supporter of civil rights, including people’s fundamental right to vote which he believes is critical for our democracy. I look forward to working with my community and making sure Senator Franken is re-elected in November,” said Dr. Johnson.

Sen. Franken has worked side by side with leaders in the African American community on key issues, such as working to bring more resources to job training programs, fighting for college affordability, raising the federal minimum wage, extending unemployment insurance for millions of Minnesotans and Americans and fighting the foreclosure crisis.

Take ownership of this grassroots movement — join African Americans for Al today.

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