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Jeremy Kalin has served in the Minnesota House for one term, and both years the legislature adjourned on time. While Kalin isn't taking credit for this; by earlier standards of sessions that never seemed to end, it's worth mentioning.

Rep. Kalin, DFL-Lindstrom, points out that it isn't always what's done in session, but what's set in motion for long term results that's most meaningful to a state legislator.

He described various measures that take more than two years to bring to fruition that help to keep him enthused.

For instance, this session Rep. Kalin was the chief author of the bill establishing the Green Jobs Task Force. This group of six legislators, higher education sector representatives and others will work on attracting environmental-focused economic development to this state.

The group, which Kalin will chair, will court green industry initiatives and accompanying job growth. The state's goals include carbon emission reduction, energy conservation, promoting renewables, biofuels research and development and achieving Clean Water Legacy standards.

Part of this effort also makes state funding available as Green Project grants. The legislation sets up a position to advance Minnesota's green-based economy.

Kalin almost finds it hard to remain seated while gesturing and explaining limitless opportunities in this sector for Minnesota. The employment potential, "... could be the next greatest economic opportunity for Minnesota," he adds.

Kalin serves on committees overseeing Public Safety, Elections, Energy and Transportation in the House.

Outcomes in transportation, especially funding for the Rush Line Corridor and mass transit weren't what Kalin wanted. Where metro counties can (and some did) enact a quarter-cent sales tax to raise revenues for transit needs, Chisago County falls under a different bill. Counties outside the metropolitan area can impose a sales tax of up to 5 cents per hundred and a $20 excise tax on retail sales of vehicles. But-- the money must be approved by voter referendum and only for a specific project. The tax would expire once the project is completed.

Kalin said there came a point where transportation committees worked with what funding that was available, and he is thankful the North Branch bridge project gets appropriations and municipal state aid allotments are also being funded here. He suggests citizens continue to inform their elected officials about the importance of transit and developing options to freeway congestion and private vehicle transit.

One area where public input had a real effect was in education.

The state's leftover Q-Comp account was redirected ($10 million of it) into aid for local districts and Kalin said local citizens had something to do with that. It was while attending one of the North Branch School District budget cut meetings that Kalin had advised people to let the governor know how dire the financial picture is.

He said, "Later the governor's office staff asked me about what's going on with North Branch," Kalin shared. The governor's staff got lots of correspondence from this area about school finances. "I am pretty convinced they made it (North Branch's situation) visible to the governor and helped make the aid happen."

Rep. Kalin has written in his newspaper columns about the military voting advancements he helped bring about. Another military-related issue came to his attention during a veterans' roundtable in Cambridge last winter. He was able to get about $25,000 state funding to prop them up, and now there's an initiative underway for veterans to help veterans who are having questions or need to talk about specialized problems or needs. "These guys are doing phenomenal stuff," said Kalin about the fledgling veterans' services facilitator group.

For November Rep. Kalin reminds everybody of the ballot question on the "legacy amendment."

He said, "This will be a big deal if it passes." For this area in particular, clean water is a serious issue both environmentally and for the economy. This ballot measure will dedicate monies to these types of needs. Kalin helped get this on the ballot. "It was nice to get a thank you letter from Ducks Unlimited as a lawmaker, not as a member," Kalin joked.

In the non-legislative season Kalin pays the bills working for a North Branch area dome-home designer and builder. Kalin said he's going to be putting a lot of time into his upcoming campaign (being a state representative is a two-year job) but he is on-call for design help and carpentry work.

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