Greetings,
VETERANS DAY ON THE HILL
Monday marked “Veterans Day on the Hill” at the State Capitol. One of the highlights of the day was having the Waite Park Legion Post 428 post the colors at our Minnesota House Veterans Affairs Division hearing for the Pledge of Allegiance.
It was great to see so many local vets and be able to discuss veterans’ issues with them. Veterans Day on the Hill is always one of the highlights of our legislative year.
O’DRISCOLL BILLS: PENSIONS, ELECTIONS, AND MORE
Personally, I had a busy week presenting a number of bills before various House committees.
The Minnesota House Government Operations and Election Policy Committee approved legislation I’m chief-authoring that will improve the voting process for disabled Minnesotans. One of the highlights of the bill is that it clears the way for the Secretary of State to work with voting equipment companies to improve the way our disabled residents can participate in the ballot casting process. The bill also requires special elections to be on Tuesdays, which makes all election days uniform.
The Pensions Commission also approved my 2018 Pension Reform and Stabilization package. This proposal, two years in the making, would reduce anticipated rates of return from 8-8.5% to 7.5%, which is critical towards ensuring the future financial health of state retirement programs. The plan is making its way through the House and Senate and has broad support from stakeholders.
My bill that would adjust the salary cap for the Metropolitan Airports Commission also made headway. As we heard during the Super Bowl festivities, the Minneapolis/St Paul Airport is world class and in order to maintain this standing we need to allow address compensation and wages to ensure the best and brightest are hired and remain employed here.
The Minnesota House Commerce Committee also debated my legislation that creates an advisory task force to help better connect appraisers with other industries such as lenders, builders and real estate.
ST. PAUL VISITORS
We had some special visitors to the Minnesota House this week. A group of eight students from Cristo Rey – Dallas joined us. It is part of a private Catholic High School system across the United States providing an alternative to students seeking to graduate high school and attend college. These students spend 10-11 hours a day on academic achievement and work one day a week in a school-arranged workplace to help pay their tuition. Current school president Kelby Woodard is a friend of mine and former state representative. It was a pleasure to have them all join us. I also met with local chiropractors as part of “Minnesota Chiropractic Day on the Hill.”
Other residents and groups I had the pleasure to meet with this week include:
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Stearns County Soil and Water Conservation
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Minnesota Association of School Administration
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Medical Association
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Housing First, which is a Realtor group
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Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities
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Iron Mining Association
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Stearns Electric Association
If you know of anyone who would like to receive future email updates, forward this email to them and have them sign up here. Also, if you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding any issue related to state government, please feel free to contact me at either 651-296-7808 or rep.tim.odriscoll@house.mn.
Sincerely,
Tim