Tom Rukavina

Infobox State Representative
name=Tom Rukavina


state_house=Minnesota
state=Minnesota
district=5A
term=1986 -
preceded=Dominic J. Elioff
succeeded=Incumbent
party=Democratic Farmer Labor Party
date of birth= birth date and age |1950|8|23
place of birth=
date of death=
place of death=
alma_mater=University of Minnesota
occupation=
spouse=
residence=Virginia, Minnesota
religion=|

Thomas 'Tom' Rukavina (born August 23, 1950) is a Democratic Farmer Labor Party member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing District 5A since 1986. His district 05A is the Mesabi Range.

Rukavina graduated from the University of Minnesota at Duluth, with a Bachelor of Art degree, "cum laude", in political science. He was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives during the elections of 1986, at the age of thirty-seven as a DFLer. He has been re-elected ten times and began his eleventh term in the Minnesota House January, 2006. He is currently on the Capital Investment Finance Division; Education Finance and Economic Competitiveness Finance Division; Finance; Higher Education and Work Force Development Policy and Finance Division; and the Taxes Committee. Since the 2006 election, Rukavina has chaired the Higher Education and Work Force Policy and Finance Division.

Rukavina was arrested on July 31, 2004 for driving drunk. [http://www.wdio.com/index.cfm?viewer= ootprodwdiosharedstoryViewer&storyID=2772&queid=0] He was cited for fourth degree drunken driving. His blood alcohol level was 0.15. He had been an opponent of lowering the blood alcohol level from .10 to .08. The state legislature in 2004 approved lowering the level beginning August 2005.

Rukavina garnered brief national attention from the Fox News Channel on March 16, 2007 for [http://ros.leg.mn/revisor/pages/search_status/status_detail.php?b=House&f=HF0122&ssn=0&y=2007 a bill] he had introduced to ban the sale of foreign-made American flags in Minnesota. The bill has since passed into law.

External links

* [http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/members.asp?district=05A Minnesota House of Representatives - Tom Rukavina] official MN Senate website
* [http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.asp?ID=10574 Minnesota Legislative Reference Library - Tom Rukavina]
* [http://minnesota.publicradio.org/projects/ongoing/votetracker/legislator_view.php?id=87 Minnesota Public Radio - Votetracker: Tom Rukavina] voting record
* [http://votesmart.org/bio.php?can_id=3845 Project Vote Smart - Representative Tom Rukavina (MN)] profile
*"Follow the Money" - Thomas Rukavina
** [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=82561 2006] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=75377 2004] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=36946 2002] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=59016 2000] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=36851 1998] [http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?c=36483 1996] campaign contributions