Second Annual Hotdish Competition

On Wednesday, I hosted our second annual hotdish competition for the Minnesota Congressional delegation. It was a delicious opportunity to spend time with my Minnesota colleagues and put aside partisan differences. Eight members of the delegation participated, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Reps. Collin Peterson, Michele Bachmann, Keith Ellison, Tim Walz, Erik Paulsen, and Chip Cravaack. This was a fun opportunity to get the Minnesota delegation together in the spirit of bipartisanship and to celebrate a great Minnesota tradition - the hotdish.

I'm proud - and somewhat surprised - to announce that Rep. Cravaack and I tied for first place. My entry was called "Mom's Mahnomin Madness" hotdish, and Rep. Cravaack had the tasty "Minnesota Wild Strata" hotdish. You can find all eight recipes and photos from the event on my website.

Touring Minnesota Farm Communities

One out of five jobs in Minnesota depends on agriculture, so I'm very focused on the 2012 Farm Bill, which is about to come before the Senate. One of my top priorities is making sure that we have a robust safety net for Minnesota farmers to get them through hard times. And since this year has been especially dry, it's important to remember that farmers only have until March 15 to purchase crop insurance before the start of the growing season.

The farm bill will have an important impact on Minnesota farmers and on our state's economy. So, I sent key members of my staff to communities across Minnesota to update farmers, ranchers, and agriculture officials on the status of the Farm Bill and to hear their concerns. I will use their input during the upcoming Senate debate to ensure Minnesota's interests are reflected in the bill.

Improving Courthouse Safety

Recently, there has been a dramatic rise in local courthouse violence across the country—including a shooting in December at the Cook County Courthouse in Grand Marais. Our local sheriffs and court personnel should not have to put their lives at risk to ensure that the basic acts of our judicial system get carried out. So I've introduced the Local Courthouse Safety Act to improve security at smaller courthouses.

My bill would address security concerns, like a lack of screening equipment and security training at local courthouses, by giving courthouses access to the resources they need to improve security and make sure that every Minnesotan's day in court is safe.

Creating Jobs for Veterans

The unemployment rate for veterans who have returned from Afghanistan and Iraq is currently three times the state average. This is unacceptable. These men and women have sacrificed for all of us, and we have to do everything we can to create jobs for them once their service is done. That's why I'm proud to support a new tax credit that's now available to Minnesota employers who hire veterans. The credit can be as high as $9,600 per veteran for for-profit employers and up to $6,240 for tax-exempt organizations. This tax credit will help create opportunities to put our veterans back to work by providing an incentive for Minnesota businesses to hire them. It is still a tough economy out there, but this is a step in the right direction and the right thing to do.