Dear Neighbors,
Another week of the legislative session is in the books. We hit our first committee deadline, which means we had a busy few days of hearings and meetings. In this week's update, I included information on our MNLARS bill, an important group of visitors to St. Paul, and news on the retirement of a local hero.
“Save Our Hospital” Visitors
Yesterday, I met with representatives from the “Save Our Hospital” organization to discuss rural health care initiatives. Throughout the process of the hospital restructuring, I’ve worked closely with ‘Save Our Hospital’ to ensure our residents have access to the care they need in our area. Thank you to all of the advocates who came to St. Paul to share the importance of affordable health care costs and increased access in rural Minnesota.
As you know, I’m authoring multiple health care-related bills this session. These include HF3288 to require a review if a hospital plans to discontinue essential health services in a rural area, and HF3189 which provides tax incentives to medical facilities who locate to underserved areas in Greater Minnesota.
MNLARS Bill
Minnesota taxpayers deserve to know their money is being spent wisely and responsibly. As a legislator, one of my main goals is to ensure this happens in all areas of state government. That’s why the legislature has taken its time to examine in detail the budget for the broken Minnesota License and Registration System (MNLARS), the computer system that processes transactions when you go to the DMV.
On Thursday, the House and Senate passed a compromise to allocate $10 million from a special revenue account within the Department of Vehicle Services to address the immediate concerns. Also, our proposal requires those in charge of MNLARS to show us their roadmap and timeline for fixing the system before receiving more funding. These reports are essential to ensure no more tax dollars are wasted. We're insisting on major accountability measures to ensure your dollars are going where they're supposed to, and to avoid throwing good money after bad. While the governor wants to raise certain license fees by $2 per transaction, I think our bill is the responsible way forward. It protects taxpayers and calls on Dayton to take responsibility for MNLARS as he’s stated already.
I’ll continue to look for ways to make sure Minnesotans’ hard-earned tax dollars are being spent in the most responsible and accountable fashion. We are committed to helping fix this disaster, and the passage of our bill will help fix the broken system before the March 31 deadline, but we aren't going to simply hand over a blank check. Minnesotans expect and deserve more than that.
Local Hero
Last but certainly not least, congratulations to Albert Lea Public Safety Director Dwaine Winkels on his retirement after 33 years with the Albert Lea Police Department! Dwaine has devoted his career to keeping our community safe for over three decades. Thank you, Dwaine, and congratulations on your retirement; good luck in what’s next! To read more about Dwaine, here’s a good story from the Albert Lea Tribune.
Please Contact Me
As always, if you have any questions or concerns about an issue, please contact my office at 651-296-8216, or by email at Rep.Peggy.Bennett@house.mn; I would love to hear from you. Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Peggy