Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party

On Wednesday, February 15th, Governor Dayton delivered his State of the State Address.  Governor Dayton emphasized the need to put Minnesotans back to work, change the way government works and invest in education and the future of our state. DFL Chair, Ken Martin showed his support for the Governor's message:

"Tonight, Governor Dayton called on Minnesotans to think about the decisions we are making today and how we can leave our state in a better condition than when we inherited it.  The DFL has put forth legislation that will do just that.  Governor Dayton and our DFL leaders have the solutions that will put thousands of people back to work, make government more effective and invest in education to create a world class workforce in our state.

After attending his local precinct caucus and talking to people across the state about their experiences, DFL Chair Ken Martin released the following statement:

“Tonight, DFLers across the state attended their precinct caucuses because they believe in our candidates, the ideals of our Party and the ability to make a difference through our democratic process. Thousands of people came out tonight to support our candidates, voice their disgust with the divisive constitutional amendments being put forward by the Republican legislature and start organizing to ensure DFL victories this fall.

Through months of caucus trainings, phoning and door-knocking efforts and outreach to communities of new Minnesotans, we have been working hard to make sure Minnesotans know about the important opportunity they have to help build our party and make their voices heard through participating in their precinct caucus. 

DFL Chair Ken Martin issued a statement today in response to the Campaign Finance Board’s ruling on the complaint filed last Monday regarding $70,000 paid by the Republican Party of Minnesota to Sen. Dave Thompson that was not disclosed in Thompson’s campaign finance reports.

"The ruling by the Campaign Finance Board draws attention to a legal loophole that has allowed elected leaders like Senator Thompson to sidestep disclosure requirements that are there to make campaigns and government more transparent.  This loophole needs to be closed immediately.”

“A bill introduced in the House by Representative Ryan Winkler would close that loophole. In the last year, we have witnessed a Republican Party pushing ethical boundaries and forcing Minnesotans to ask if the Minnesota GOP is paying their candidates to run for office.  Rep. Winkler's bill would eliminate that practice by forcing elected officials to disclose all sources of income.

Nationwide health care law helped 2.5 million young adults

St. Paul – Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided state-by-state numbers showing that the Affordable Care Act continues to significantly increase the number of young adults who have health insurance,  helping 32,000 young adults here in Minnesota and 2.5 million around the country.

Before the Affordable Care Act, more young Americans lacked health insurance than any other age group – accounting for more than one in five of the uninsured.  Going without insurance put the health and finances of millions of young people at risk.  Contrary to the myth that young people don’t need health insurance, one in six young adults has a chronic disease like cancer, diabetes or asthma.  Studies show that nearly half of uninsured young adults reported problems paying their medical bills and others forwent regular care, like checkups or recommended screenings, due to cost.