Dear Friends,
After a week off for Easter it is great to be back in Saint Paul as we enter the final six weeks of the legislative session. My notes from this week:
State of the State
Governor Dayton delivered his fifth State of the State address yesterday. The highlights:
-It was great to have Frans Rosenquist, a farmer from Atwater, joining as my guest.
-Governor Dayton seemed open to compromise and changes to his fifty foot, one-size-fits-all buffer proposal.
-No new agenda items during the speech, though I'm encouraged that the Governor did not dedicate any time to his gas tax plan. I hope this is a sign he is open to at least part of the GOP plan that invests $7 billion over 10 years without a tax increase.
Propane Relief Act
My bill I told you about earlier this year, the Propane Relief Act, is included in the Job Growth and Energy Affordability Omnibus bill. This bill will help prevent a propane crisis like we saw two winters ago and make propane more affordable for the many families who use it to heat their homes.
The Jobs & Energy Omnibus bill will help make energy prices more affordable for families while also resulting in a net reduction of pollution. I do have concerns about the reductions in broadband investments, and will continue working with the chair of the committee and my colleagues to push for more broadband funding. I know it is a huge issue for those of us in Greater Minnesota.
Survey
On Monday, I will be closing the online version of my 2015 legislative survey. This is your last call if you haven't yet sent in your feedback. Paper copies will be available after Monday by calling my office at
651-296-6206. Take the survey online and save yourself a stamp by clicking
here.
Have a great weekend,
Dave