Dear Neighbors,
On Wednesday, the Senate unanimously passed Drake’s Law. Having been approved by the House last week, Drake’s Law will now head to Governor Dayton’s desk to be signed into law.
As many of you know, Drake’s Law is named in honor of Drake Bigler. Drake is the five month old son of Brad and Heather Bigler, who was tragically killed in a drunk driving accident in 2012. Drake’s father, Brad, is the head basketball coach at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall.
Without the dedication and hard work of the Bigler family in the memory of their son, this bill would not have become law. Their courage and resolve is truly inspiring.
In other news, the House is rapidly approaching final adjournment of the 2016 legislative session with three major items still unresolved—bonding, a roads and bridges bill, and tax relief.
Negotiations on these final bills are ongoing and I would anticipate an agreement to come together quickly in the coming days. As for myself, I continue to advocate for the House roads and bridges proposal that uses already existing funds and revenue and reprioritizes them towards transportation.
Governor Dayton and his staff are expected to prepare his first transportation offer this weekend and announce it Monday morning. This comes on the heels of House Republicans offering a compromise transportation proposal Wednesday based off our ten-year plan to meet the state’s road and bridge infrastructure needs without raising the gas tax.
I am hoping that Governor Dayton remembers his own words from December when he declared the gas tax dead.
On bonding and tax relief, I am in favor of a responsibly sized bonding bill that focuses on public infrastructure and tax relief that is targeted for middle class Minnesotans and small businesses.
Stay tuned for developments.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me to share your thoughts on any issue. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-5374 or via email at rep.chris.swedzinski@house.mn.
Have a great weekend,
Chris