Tag: House District 36A

Rep. Stephenson Announces New Plan to Deliver State Financial Assistance to Furloughed Federal Employees

St. Paul, Minnesota – In response to the federal government shutdown, Representative Zack Stephenson (DFL-Coon Rapids) and Senator Matt Little (DFL-Lakeville) are fighting for federal employees affected financially in Minnesota.

Both legislators have introduced bipartisan legislation that would allow for federal employees who are furloughed, or working without pay, to apply for interest- free personal loans.  Minnesota is home to over 17,000 federal employees and contractors, and over 6,000 are currently furloughed or required to work without pay because of the shutdown.

“Today should be payday for thousands of federal employees across Minnesota,” Rep. Stephenson said. “Instead, workers are being forced to make impossible decisions about which bills to pay.  It’s time to release the hostages kept captive by the federal shutdown and give our federal workforce the financial security they’ve earned.”  Continue reading “Rep. Stephenson Announces New Plan to Deliver State Financial Assistance to Furloughed Federal Employees”

Election endorsement: House District 36A: Zack Stephenson

The contest for the open seat in Champlin and Coon Rapids pits an energetic Hennepin County prosecutor against a longtime high school wrestling coach and physical education teacher. Our nod goes to the attorney, DFLer Zack Stephenson, for his leadership potential and the grasp he exhibits of major issues that will confront the 2019 Legislature.

Stephenson, 34, grew up in Coon Rapids and earned his law degree at the University of Chicago. He acquired his political spurs working on the campaigns of U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and House Minority Leader Melissa Hortman. His legal specialties include election law. He would be a valuable voice at the Legislature on matters such as early voting and the re-enfranchisement of former felons. He has thought deeply about the future of higher education, the state’s response to climate change and how to fund highways as electric vehicles make the gas tax obsolete.

Republican Bill Maresh, 57, calls himself “just a regular guy” with a desire to serve his community. Years in athletics taught him the value of competition, he says; he would seek to instill more of it in K-12 education with vouchers and in health care with more private insurance options and price transparency. He’s likable and earnest, but does not exhibit the familiarity with the state’s issues an effective legislator needs.

View the October 29 editorial by the Star Tribune’s Editorial Board here.