Dear Neighbors,
Happy Veterans Day! Every November 11 gives us the special opportunity to honor our veterans and current military personnel. We are indebted by their service and are deeply grateful for their sacrifice. Our country is the land of the free because of these brave men and women. Thank you, veterans!
Veterans Event
Leading up to Veterans Day, I attended the Anoka County Veterans Court 3rd Anniversary reception. This was a fantastic opportunity to interact with veterans and see how these specialty courts operate. It was interesting to watch a Veterans Court proceeding to better understand their success rates. If you would like more information on the Anoka County Veterans Court, click here.
License Plate Information
You may have seen a story by KSTP news regarding a Minnesota man using a website to search license plates in order to find addresses and commit burglaries. The website in question apparently obtained the information from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety legally, but is now using it in a fashion incongruent with the permissible uses listed in federal law. As chair of the Civil Law and Data Practices Committee, I take this matter very seriously. I’m working with Rep. Roz Peterson on a bill to give our state some type of recourse to combat companies or websites who misuse Minnesotans' personal information. We need to make sure that your information remains private and safe.
Open Meeting Laws
I’ve seen many of you at local government events around town. I wanted to remind you that, by law, local units of government must provide all documents to the public that are being used by elected officials during formal meetings. Our governments must be open and transparent – especially in public meetings – to ensure that our citizens stay informed and can hold elected officials accountable.
App Challenge
Recently, Congressman Tom Emmer announced that his office is participating in the Internet Education Foundation’s 2015 Congressional App Challenge. High school students from across the country work to create the best, most innovative app for mobile devices. Submissions will be received until January 15, 2016 and winners will be announced a month later. If you know someone who may be interested in this contest, click here.
If you have any questions or suggestions you’d like to share, please contact my office at your convenience. You can reach me at (651) 296-4231, or email at Rep.Peggy.Scott@house.mn.
Again, I want to wish a happy Veterans Day to all of our former and current service members! We thank you for your service and for keeping our country safe and free!
Best,
Peggy