It was just a year ago that I was beginning to think about running for office in Senate District 27, and at that time, I never could have predicted where that decision would lead me over the next 12 months. From knocking on doors and marching in parades to simply waiting for an election result, I found the entire journey to be informative and fulfilling.

As I settle into my role as the new state senator from District 27, I am beginning to realize the honor and privilege I hold in serving the people of our area. I am grateful to the voters for giving me this opportunity, and I want to keep all of you informed on a regular basis of what your state senator is doing in St. Paul.

I have spent much of the past two weeks organizing the office, meeting my colleagues and becoming acquainted with a very hectic schedule. The first several days also included the first committee meetings of the session. I have been named Vice Chair of the Commerce and Utilities Committee, and Chair of the Consumer Protection and Banking Subcommittee. It is an honor for a freshman legislator to receive these assignments, which will allow me to address bills relating to everything from banking and insurance to public utilities and telecommunications. I also am a member of the E-12 Education Budget Division and the Agriculture, General Legislation and Veterans’ Affairs Committee, dealing with bills relating to rural development and military affairs. Serving on these committees will allow me to address some of the issues that are especially important to our area and I am excited to get to work.

Of course, the big news this week was the announcement of Gov. Pawlenty’s proposal to deal with the immediate $356 million state budget shortfall. The effects of this problem, coupled with the upcoming plan to tackle the still-remaining $4.5 billion shortfall, reminded every legislator that our top priority must be to deal with our current economy and to use every tool we have at our disposal to get people back to work.

The most obvious challenge will be to find a workable solution to the budget problem while maintaining the programs and funding upon which our area relies. I ran my Senate campaign based on the promise to put people before politics, and I intend to keep that promise by basing my decisions on what is best for you, the residents of District 27.

The 2003 session, which officially began on Jan. 7, will probably end sometime in May. The constitutional adjournment deadline for either year of the legislative session is the first Monday following the third Saturday in May &045; which this year translates to May 19. Legislators must finish their work by that time or risk being called into a special session by the governor.

There are many ways of keeping track of legislation of interest to you. First, the Senate Information Office and the Office of the Secretary of State are located in Room 231 of the Capitol. These offices distribute printed materials and respond to inquiries about Senate committee meetings, bill reference numbers and status and bill sponsorship. The phone number is 1(800) 627-3529.

The Senate also has a &uot;listserv&uot; to automatically send daily committee schedules to subscribers with Internet e-mail access. A &uot;listserv&uot; is a mailing list program designed to copy and distribute e-mail to everyone subscribing to a particular mailing list. You can subscribe &045; or unsubscribe &045; at any time. To subscribe to the Senate listserv, simply send an e-mail message to: listserv@senate.mn

Leave the subject line blank, and in the message body type the following text: subscribe sen-schedules

A welcome message will be sent, including instructions on how to unsubscribe from the list.

I believe the most valuable asset to all of us during these difficult times is a strong relationship between community members and their legislators. I want to stress my open-door policy at the Capitol and I encourage you to contact me whenever you have questions or concerns. I will be in St. Paul most weekdays during the legislative session, but hope to spend my weekends in the district. Also, I am planning to hold town meetings in the district in the next few weeks, and I will notify you of their times and locations as soon as those details are worked out.

Once again, thank you so much for this terrific opportunity and I look forward to working with all of you as the session progresses. I can be reached by phone at (651) 296-9248; by e-mail at sen.dan.sparks@senate.mn or at Room G-24, State Capitol Building, 75 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.

Sen. Dan Sparks, DFL-Austin, represents District 27, which includes Freeborn County, Mower County and part of Fillmore County, in the Minnesota Senate.