Friday, May 12, 2006

Agenda For A Short Session

My colleagues in the House Democratic Caucus and I held a press conference Tuesday morning to announce our agenda for the short session. Our five-part Plan for a Secure Future calls on the Legislature to:

1. Provide the opportunity of a lifetime – a quality education;

2. Create jobs that foster strong, healthy, and more prosperous families;

3. Ensure our future by promoting the good health and safety of our citizens;

4. Take action when the federal government hasn’t; and

5. Inspire confidence in a state government that works for them.

I believe that investing in education is the most important thing we can do for our people and our economy, and that remains my #1 priority. I will work to substantially increase teacher pay, provide more money for education than ever before, and make sure lottery proceeds are only spent on education.

I believe our workers must make good wages and have health care benefits, and I will work to increase the state’s minimum wage and give state employees a long-deserved pay raise. And, I believe we should cap our state’s gas tax to give consumers some relief at the pump. We must demand that the President and Congress take action to rein in the billions of dollars in profits that the big oil and gas companies continue to rake in at our expense. And, we must pursue a course of a more sustainable energy policy.

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