Dear Neighbors,
Happy Friday! As you know, we started the 2018 legislative session on Tuesday. With session starting again, I wanted to send a quick preview of some big issues, as well as some great recent visits in our area.
First, congratulations to the Albert Lea wrestling team for winning their section and advancing to state! We’re so proud of you guys; good luck at the state tournament!
Legislative Session
We saw a number of important bills pass during the 2017 session, and I expect more of the same this year. Some of the main topics of discussion will likely include tax conformity, fixing MNLARS - the state’s broken vehicle licensing system - and continuing to try and lower health insurance costs while increasing access to care, especially in rural Minnesota where many areas are seeing a loss in healthcare services.
The main subject area I’m working on right now is healthcare. I have been crafting a number of healthcare related bills to deal with our local situation of losing important hospital services, and have been in ongoing meetings with local residents, area officials, experts, and stakeholders to refine my bill ideas and get them into a workable form. I am currently in the process of adding some final touches and finding co-authors. Once they’re in final form, I will share more specifics and will be sure to keep our area updated as they move through the legislative process.
Last year, we also passed a bonding bill focused on transportation and infrastructure, and we could see another one of these bills this session. As a member of the Capital Investment Committee, I’m hoping to see some sort of bonding bill. We toured a number of potential projects around the state, including some of our local projects such as the Blazing Star Trail and the Riverland Community College project. We’ll have to wait until the upcoming budget forecast before we start forming bonding proposals, but I look forward to advocating for local and regional projects.
Recent Visits
Last week, I had a very informative meeting with Jerry and Tonya from REM Woodvale in Albert Lea. REM Woodvale serves developmentally disabled people from our area. They have just finished transitioning from their larger single site on Plainview Lane to a more community-based service with multiple smaller sites that are more like a home environment.
I visited and toured one of their newer homes and we discussed the needs of their day to day operations. The funding of services for the developmentally disabled is in desperate need of reform, just like nursing home funding was when I started in the legislature a few years ago. It is very difficult for them to both hire and maintain employees when working at McDonald's pays more. I am thankful that I was able to help pass real funding reform for our nursing homes, and I will continue to advocate for and work toward real funding reform for services to the disabled.
Thank you to the many employees with such big hearts who selflessly serve the developmentally disabled in our community. It’s such an important job!
Today, Colter and I had such fun visiting Albert Lea Area Schools’ Lakeview Elementary for I Love to Read month. We visited Mrs. Nelson’s kindergarten class. Colter showed the kids how he can read some words (and how important it is to practice!) and I read a story about my kitten, Kelchi, and Colter becoming friends. Of course, at the end, we all howled like wolves and Colter joined right in! I want to give a special shout out to Mrs. Nelson’s students for their excellent self-control and polite behavior. They were amazing. I love to visit our schools!
Please Contact Me
Now that we’re back in session, it’s more important than ever for you to call or email me to share your ideas and opinions. We only have 12 weeks this legislative session, and I hope you’ll add your voice to our ongoing discussions.
Enjoy your weekend,
Peggy