Dear neighbors,
Tuesday, January 3rd marked the first day of the 2017 Legislative Session in St. Paul, where I was officially sworn in as the state representative for District 43A. I am honored and humbled to represent our communities of Maplewood, White Bear Lake, Mahtomedi, Willernie, and Birchwood once again at the State Capitol.
Here are some quick hits on my priorities this session:
HEALTH CARE PREMIUMS
Families in the individual health insurance market are facing steep premium increases. DFL legislators supported a plan on Thursday that had been previously agreed to by Governor Dayton, Republican House Speaker Kurt Daudt and the Senate to provide a 25 percent premium reduction for 125,000 Minnesotans right away. I'm frustrated that this didn't happen sooner, but I hope we can move forward with relief immediately.
You can read more about the plan here.
SERVING OUR VETERANS
I am particularly pleased this year to serve on the Veterans Affairs Division committee. Many Minnesotans have courageously served our country, and we owe it to them to have their backs when they return home. If you have ideas about how we can improve the lives of veterans in our state, please let me know.
TRANSIT FOR OUR COMMUNITY
I continue to be concerned about the lack of transportation options for our communities. Despite being only a few miles away from St. Paul, we have no daily bus service to connect workers with their workplaces. That has to change, and I’m actively looking at ways we can improve transit in our region.
JOB CREATION
Governor Mark Dayton has proposed a Jobs Bill that would invest $1.5 billion in community infrastructure projects, creating an estimated 22,950 Minnesota jobs and supporting local economies across the state. The bill even includes funding for badly needed repairs and maintenance at Century College.
With interest rates at historic lows, construction projects are far cheaper for taxpayers now than they will be in the future, so I’m hopeful that DFL and Republican legislators can come together to pass a comprehensive bonding bill this year.
Find out more at the Governor's Minnesota Jobs Bill website.
CAPITOL TOURS
Come tour our newly restored State Capitol!
Free 45-minute tours are available daily and start on the hour. They leave from the Information Center in Room 126. If you have a larger group, you can schedule a tour by emailing grouptickets@mnhs.org or calling 651-259-3003. For K-12 Field Trips, visit mnhs.org/fieldtriprequest or call 1-800-387-5008.
During the legislative session, I will send out these quick updates once every two weeks to keep you informed about what is going on at the Capitol.
If you know of anyone in the district who wants to receive my legislative updates, simply have them visit my legislative page.
See you in two weeks.
Sincerely,
Rep. Peter Fischer