Dear Neighbors,
Technology Committee
This session, I was recently appointed to Select Committee on Technology and Responsive Government. Our goal on this committee is to harness technological advancements to make government more consumer-friendly and efficient for Minnesotans. More and more we interact with state and local government using technology, and we need to make sure this is as efficient as possible.
We held our first hearing this week, and I’m excited about the potential to improve government accessibility. I am very passionate about government being here to serve the people, and I think technology is a great tool to help government do that. I am excited to be a part of this committee and looking forward to some good bipartisan work to help make government more responsive to its citizens!
As this committee continues to gather input, we’re planning to hold meetings at various places around the state to make sure we hear from all Minnesotans. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Women’s Conference
I want to thank KJLY for inviting me to speak at their annual women's conference in Mankato last Saturday. I had the opportunity to share my story on how I went from being a teacher to a state representative with about 50 women at one of the mini-sessions that day. I sure enjoyed being at the conference and meeting a lot of amazing women!
Budget
The Senate and House have both passed their budget bills, and the details are currently being worked out in conference committees. We have been working around the clock over the past two weeks to finalize these bills, but these bodies are only two-thirds of the equation. It is critical that we have the Governor and his staff engaged in these conference committee negotiations right now - and we have been requesting that. Things in the legislature have been running very smoothly thus far and we are ahead of schedule.
It is our desire to come together with a responsible budget that prioritizes education, tax relief, and road and bridge funding, but we need the Governor to take an active role now in order to accomplish that. None of us wants to see the "log jam" of bills in the final hours of session that has been so typical for many years, nor do we want a special session. It is my hope that the Governor will engage in these negotiations sooner rather than later so that neither of these things happen, and we can get a good, responsible budget passed for Minnesotans.
Please Contact Me
As always, please feel free to reach out via phone or email if you ever need anything. I’m here to help and would love for you to contact me!
Enjoy your weekend!
Peggy