Hello!
I’m Keith Franke I was born in South St. Paul, then my family moved to Cottage Grove and later moved to St. Paul Park where I live currently. I am a single father of two children, Brenna and Kassie and enjoy my two granddaughters Lily and Jordyn. I am the owner of Park Cafe and Franke’s Corner Bar which are both located in St. Paul Park. I ran for the MN House of Representatives during my second term as Mayor of St. Paul Park. Now I am proud to serve the people of District 54A in the MN House of Representatives.
I decided to run for the office of Mayor when I became frustrated with decisions being made at the city level. I took to the streets and met as many citizens of St. Paul Park as I could in the months leading to the election. Taking the time to meet the people I would be representing and listening to their concerns really helped prepare me to make the best decisions as their mayor. I used this same grassroots approach to running for the House. Being personally in touch with people in the communities I represent is the only way to truly represent the citizens of District 54A. I continue to be available for a cup of coffee and a conversation with all of my constituents and can be reached easily and will respond in a timely manner to serious questions and concerns.
As a representative I serve on Veterans Affairs, Public Safety and Security, Policy and Finance, Property Tax and Local Government Finance and Capitol Investment committees.
My first year I had three big provisions signed into law. These include the expansion of the Minnesota GI Bill program to provide for apprenticeships and on-the-job training benefits, a strategic plan to eliminate HIV/AIDS in our state and a provision to provide a greater level of care for our elderly and vulnerable adults.
This year I co-authored legislation to ensure transparency and allocation guardrails regarding the $850 million 3M settlement, to acquire $9.5 million funding for the HERO center in Cottage Grove and also earmarked funding for Seidls Lake water level and quality improvement projects. I also authored legislation to improve school safety through threat assessment teams, increase penalties for distracted driving and plans to tackle the opioid crisis with greater oversight and treatment options. Although these bills did not pass into law this year I will continue to work on these issues.
Now that I have my feet wet and know my way around the capitol a little better I promise to continue being a common sense voice for our communities and our state and working across the aisle to get things done.
Please contact me with questions, concerns or support. I would love to hear from you!
Twitter: @TeamFranke
My Focus
Water Quality
Over the last year our area has been found to be hard hit by PFC’s in our water supply. The 3M settlement, though not as much as we hoped for, will provide the necessary funding for filtration systems, continued private and public well testing and improved environmental impact issues we will face possibly for decades to come. I co-authored legislation to keep this funding in our area and being used for our affected areas (see HF 3660). Clean drinking water and quality natural resources are a huge concern for me. We need to ensure that our families have safe drinking water.
Government Spending
It is important for us to do critical review of government policies, procedures and entities to ensure that our tax dollars are being applied in the most responsible and valuable way. We need to ensure that MNLARS and other state programs work for the people that provide valuable services and for the people who rely on these services. There are many government programs that would gain from a review of a benefit vs. cost analysis to provide taxpayers with assurance that money is being spent wisely to maintain important services while getting taxpayers, that fund these programs get the most “bang for the buck”.
Taxes
I would like to focus on making Minnesota a more small business friendly state by reducing taxes while maintaining a quality level of employee pay and benefits. Reduction in the tax burden on all working families is also needed. By lowering or abolishing capital gains tax, marriage tax, death and inheritance tax, more money could be kept by taxpayers. The federal tax laws filter down to Minnesotans and we need to have tax conformity to alleviate undo tax complications for our citizens. If there is a projected surplus we need to analyze how to return that money to the taxpayers in a tax rebate or look ahead to save for future expenditures. We should remove the burden on our senior citizens by abolishing Minnesota state tax on social security income for lower and median income seniors. Retiring veterans returning to MN after their service should also not have their pensions subject to state taxes.
Public Safety
Our public safety officials and first responders need to be provided with the tools and support they need to be successful. Last year I worked very hard on increasing the fines for distracted driving and penalties for vehicle fatalities related to distracted driving. I will continue to push for support of this legislation. Our local law enforcement and first responders as well as those from neighboring communities will benefit from the advanced training they will receive in the future at the HERO center in Cottage Grove.
Education
We need to work with local school administrators, elected officials and families to continue and expand the success of our children through a quality education. Making sure our children are safe in school is a huge concern for everyone. Combating the threat to our children is multifaceted and should include threat assessment teams in schools that can work with local law enforcement and in and out of school mental health professionals.
Addiction and Recovery
As addiction continues to impact our communities we need to focus on providing people the necessary services to find quality recovery programs to overcome the cycle of addiction that is impacting families across the state. This also is a problem with a multi-faceted solution which requires action by pharmaceutical companies, mental health agencies and prescribing physicians all working together.
Veterans
Existing veterans and returning veterans need to be supported in obtaining better control over their medical care.
This content was originally published at http://www.keithfranke.org/