A resolution for Tuesday's Caucus-February 2, 2010

Whereas Minnesota has a national reputation for creating opportunities to move people out of poverty;

Whereas Minnesota has a strong historic and cultural tradition of funding quality investments that promote families who thrive and contribute to the health of the state;

Whereas the number of Minnesota's children living in poverty increased by 20 percent from 2000 to 2008, (140,000 in 2008 as indicated by the Federal Poverty Guidelines, a very inadequate measure of the real extent of poverty);

Whereas a bi-partisan Legislative Commission to End Poverty conducted a two year process to identify the extent of poverty in this state and solutions that would contribute to ending poverty by 2020;

Be it resolved that over the next ten years, the state of Minnesota focus its efforts on ending poverty in this state by:

Restoring work as a way out of poverty;
Refocusing public assistance to streamline services and support every one's capacity and potential;
Help Minnesotans build and maintain financial assets;
Revitalize our communities through infrastructure and person to person support;
Modernize our system of education to build the best workforce in the nation;
Develop an ongoing structure to monitor Minnesota's efforts to end poverty.

(These six areas are the focus of the recommendations made by the Legislative Commission to End Poverty by 2020.) Contact nancymaeker@mnwithoutpoverty.org for more information.