Dear neighbors,
We have less than a week to go before the constitutional adjournment date of May 22, our deadline for passing a state budget.
Here is an update from the Capitol:
BUDGET NEGOTIATIONS
Both the governor and the leaders of each legislative caucus go into negotiations each day to hammer out a compromise budget.
The current proposals are very partisan. I support more of a balance that strengthens our education system, allows small businesses to create jobs, and helps elderly and disabled people by giving a raise to personal care attendants. Hopefully we can pass a budget that helps lift up all Minnesotans without narrowly focusing on the special interests of a select few.
If legislative leaders and the Governor cannot come to an agreement, we will need to have a special session later to pass a budget. In the worst case scenario, leaders won't be able to come to an agreement even in a special session, and eventually the government will shut down.
I'm urging my colleagues to avoid that scenario by taking time to listen to one another and invest in the things that make Minnesota such a great place to call home, like our public schools and our natural resources.
BONDING BILL
The House majority has released a small bonding bill that does not include the Century College updates that we need. So in its current form, the building & infrastructure bonding bill simply isn't enough to garner my support.
But we still have time to make the bill better. In the next week, I will continue working with my colleagues across the aisle to improve the bill so we can put more Minnesotans to work and invest in critical clean water and infrastructure projects across the state.
HUMAN RIGHT TO WATER
I'm beginning to see momentum for HF 1095, a bill I'm carrying called the Human Right to Water Act. This short bill simply states, "It is the policy of the state that every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water adequate for human consumption, cooking, and sanitary purposes."
Here in Minnesota, we are proud of our abundant natural resources, and I'm committed to preserving our beautiful lakes through policies such as this.
Recently, many environmental groups have voiced their support for my bill, along with the Catholic Advocacy Network. In fact, the St. Cloud Visitor even published an editorial calling on people to contact their representatives and senators to sign onto the bill.
As always, please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Rep. Peter Fischer