As I conclude my fourth week serving in the Minnesota Senate I find myself totally challenged and engaged in the hectic legislative process, and I am beginning to grapple with the enormous task ahead of us here in St. Paul: dealing fully with the state’s large budget shortfall and meeting the states growing needs with less revenue.

I’m told that the Legislature traditionally begins the two-year legislative cycle fairly slowly and deliberatively, with policy overviews and plenty of time for new legislative committees to become acquainted with issues before the pace picks up and the harder work begins. I have to say this past month has been anything but slow and deliberative!

Already, in the past two weeks, both the Senate and House of Representatives have passed budget-cutting bills to deal with the immediate budget problem the state faces in the current fiscal year, ending June 30.

The Senate’s plan, which I support, provides $384 million in permanent and one-time cuts, and builds a reserve in case of further economic downturn.

This process has not been easy or painless, but I believe we’ve managed to spread the pain as evenly as possible with the tools we were given. I am especially pleased that we were able to recognize the importance of rural Minnesota by continuing to fund the state’s ethanol program.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed its own budget-cutting bill earlier this week, cutting $468 million to eliminate the immediate budget deficit. The House bill leaves a somewhat larger budget reserve, but makes many permanent cuts in programs without the benefit of public testimony from those who would be affected by them, and it makes cuts in the state’s ethanol program.

The next step, now underway, is an intense round of budget negotiations to work the vastly different Senate and House bills into a compromise version that can be signed into law by Gov. Pawlenty. That compromise must be crafted by Feb. 7, or the governor will begin making unilateral cuts to eliminate the $356 immediate budget deficit projected for the next six months. The House/Senate Budget Conference Committee will work through the next several days, with the intent of bringing a final compromise package to the floor of both legislative bodies in a timely manner.

Once the immediate budget problem is solved, we will quickly begin the hardest work of the session: dealing with the $4.5 billion deficit that is projected over the next two-year period. That process will require public testimony, thoughtful deliberation and many truly hard choices. I intend keep you updated as the session progresses, and I hope you will feel free to contact me with any ideas and concerns you may have. Many legislators have told me that some of the best legislation originates with their own constituents.

Speaking of staying in touch, I realize there are times when getting the latest news about what’s happening in St. Paul can be a challenge. Because e-mail and the Internet have become great tools to keep people informed, I am encouraging you to sign up for my new e-mail newsletter. I intend to provide periodic updates about action on issues that affect our local community and on topics of importance statewide.

To sign up for the newsletter, I encourage Senate District 27 constituents to send email to my office at sen.dan.sparks@senate.mn and put the phrase &uot;newsletter sign-up&uot; in the subject line. In the meantime, my door is always open to you. I encourage you to contact me whenever you have ideas, questions or concerns.

In addition, I have begun scheduling town meetings in the district, and you can expect to hear from me of their times and locations when the details are finalized.

I can be reached by phone at (651) 296-9248; or at Room G-24, State Capitol Building, 75 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155. Locally, I can be reached at (507) 438-2898, or at P.O. Box 696, Austin, MN 55912.