Editor’s Note: The following is a news release from Sen. Karin Housley (R-St. Mary's Point). Housley represents the Stillwater area in the new Minnesota Senate District 39.

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Sen. Karin Housley took the oath of office yesterday in a swearing-in ceremony at the State Capitol in St. Paul.

Housley, who was elected to her first term in the Minnesota Senate in
November, will serve on the Commerce Committee, the State and Local
Government Committee and the E-12 Education Division of the Finance
Committee throughout the 2013 legislative session.

“I am honored to serve the people of our district in the Minnesota
State Senate. I look forward to working on education, commerce and state
and local government policies,” Housley said in the release. “The work we will do
in the Education Finance Committee is particularly important to our
community. We must ensure that our schools are adequately funded and
well-positioned to provide Minnesota’s school children with quality
education opportunities.”

Although the state budget forecast released in December unveiled a
total positive balance of over $2.5 billion for the current biennium, it
also projected a $1.1 billion deficit for the 2014-15 biennium.
Balancing the state’s budget for the next two-year budget calendar is
expected to be the primary focus of this year’s legislative session.

“To keep our state on a path toward fiscal recovery, we need to focus
on policies that will give confidence to existing businesses, encourage
entrepreneurs and attract new companies into the state. I am prepared to
look for efficiencies in the budget to live within the state’s
existing means,” Housley said. “We must close the state’s
budget gap without balancing the budget on the backs of Minnesota’s
hard working families and businesses.”

Housley was elected in November to the newly reconfigured Senate
District 39, which includes parts of Washington and Chisago counties.
Housley welcomes comments and questions and can be reached by telephone
at (651)296-4351, by mail at 21 State Office Building, St. Paul, MN
55155, or via e-mail at sen.karin.housley@senate.mn.