First Elected: 2002.Committees: Agriculture, Rural Economies and Veterans Affairs; Environment and Natural Resources (Chair); Environment and Natural Resources Finance Division; Minnesota Heritage Finance Division; Ways and Means.Contact Information: 575 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155, Phone: (651) 296-9918, E-mail: rep.kent.eken@house.mn.

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2008 MCA Candidate Survey Results: Candidate did not respond to survey.

2006 MCA Candidate Survey Results: Candidate did not respond to survey.

Additional Notes from MCA: Rep. Eken was a 2006 member of the House Education Finance Committee, which decided the fate of the Perpich Center for Arts Education.

First Elected: 2004.Committees: Energy Finance and Policy Division; Environment and Natural Resources; Finance (Vice Chair); Minnesota Heritage Finance Division; Public Safety and Civil Justice; Telecommunications Regulation and Infrastructure Division.Contact Information: 577 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155, Phone: (651) 296-4265 or (800) 920-5867, E-mail: rep.brita.sailer@house.mn

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2008 MCA Candidate Survey Results: Candidate did not respond to survey.

2006 MCA Candidate Survey Results:

1. Minnesota’s nearly 1600 non-profit arts and cultural organizations provide access to the arts and support quality of life in every corner of the state. While providing over 22,000 jobs, arts organizations served nearly 4.5 million people in 2004.
What arts activities have you attended, participated in or supported in the last year?
Check all that apply: Music, Theater, Visual Arts, Literary Arts, Dance, Other.

Answer: Music, Theater, Visual Arts, Dance.

2. Over the last three biennium the State Arts Board and Regional Arts Council appropriations were cut by 34.5%. These are substantially larger cuts than the cuts to the overall state budget. Would you support an increase in arts funding to restore the cuts that were made, in recognition of the important role the arts and culture play in our economy and in our quality of life? Select One: Enthusiastically Support, Support, Neutral, Opposed.

Answer: Support.

3. During the 2006 legislative session the legislature considered a constitutional dedication of funds for water, hunting and angling and various cultural purposes including the arts. Would you support a similar constitutional amendment in the 2007 legislative session? Select One: Yes, No, Don’t Know

Answer: Don’t know.

4. Research shows that students with high levels of arts participation outperform other students on virtually every measure from standardized tests to community participation, and that learning through the arts has a significant effect on learning in other areas, particularly in the early years. Would you support policies and funding to increase the availability of the arts in our schools? Select One: Enthusiastically Support, Support, Neutral, Opposed

Answer: Support.

5. We would welcome any additional comments you would like to make with regards to the arts in Minnesota.

Comments: I remain very cautious about amending the state constitution. We as a state and legislature must work harder to solve problems at appropriate levels of government rather than pushing off difficult decisions to a state voter referendum. It is very difficult to remove ammendments once they have become part of our constitution.

Additional Notes from MCA: None.