Politics & Government

VIDEO: Thissen Asks 'Where Are The Jobs Bills'

Rep. Linda Slocum gets excited about the No Child Left Behind waiver.

Jobs

“Where are the jobs bills,”  (DFL-Richfield/Minneapolis) asked Minnesota House members this past week.

“Again, we have before us a bill that doesn’t help us grow jobs and, more importantly, is a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist," he said on the House floor, on Feb. 9.

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Thissen was criticizing a Republican-backed bill that would prevent union dues from being deducted from state childcare subsidy payments.

House Majority Leader Matt Dean (R-Dellwood) responded by saying it is a jobs bill. Dean also said Gov. Mark Dayton crossed the line when he used executive authority to institute a vote on whether providers wanted to form a union. Ramsey County District Judge Dale Lindman issued a temporary restraining order stopping that vote in early December 2012.

Find out what's happening in Richfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“Of course this is a jobs bill,” Dean said. “We don’t want to do this bill, we have to do this bill because we are trying to keep doors open.”

To see Thissen and Dean's full statements, play the video above.

No Child Left Behind

Rep. Linda Slocum (D-Richfield) is applauding . The waiver will allow Minnesota and to implement a new strategy that separates and categorizes schools by student performance.

“This is fantastic news for our students, schools, and anyone who cares about education in Minnesota,” Slocum stated in a newsletter. “The waiver will allow Minnesota administrators, teachers, and parents to work together to build a new system of accountability for our schools which will lead to better education for our students.”

No Child Left Behind has been criticized over the past decade for its rigid requirements. Slocum believes the waiver is allowing Minnesota to move forward as a leader in education policy and reform.


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