Dear Friends,
The whirlwind pace at the legislature continued this week, and we're down to just a few weeks left in the 2015 session. The House and Senate are both working to pass our budget bills, and we'll be having our first Saturday session tomorrow to pass our omnibus Education bill.
On Thursday I was able to attend the
groundbreaking ceremony for the new St. John's Lutheran campus in Albert Lea near Fountain Lake. It's great to see St. John's adding a beautiful new facility that will create more jobs, and more importantly expand capacity so more of our aging family members can stay closer to home. The facility is expected to be completed by 2017.
Transportation Bill
On Tuesday, the House passed the Road and Bridge Act of 2015, part of our approach that invests $7 billion over 10 years into roads and bridges. Most of the people who have contacted me or that I've had conversations with say they want roads and bridges to be the priority, and that we should do all we can to avoid a tax increase on gasoline. I'm proud that we were able to accomplish that goal, and put forward a plan that would rebuild 15,500 lane miles of road, 330 bridges, and provide funding to hundreds of small towns around the state with fewer than 5,000 residents.
Small towns shouldn't be left out of the discussion when it comes to transportation. Potholes impact people in communities like Wells, Kiester, and Hayfield the same way they impact people in Minneapolis. The GOP plan is the only plan at the Capitol that funds small city road repairs. That's one of the many reasons I was proud to join a bipartisan vote in favor of this bill.
Shell Rock River
Today the House is expected to pass our omnibus Environment and Natural Resources bill. Included in the bill is a provision to add the Shell Rock River to a list of state water trails. This will help bring tourists and recreational activity to our area, and put the Shell Rock River on a list of some of Minnesota's most beautiful waterways. I'm glad to see this bill one step closer to becoming law, and am grateful to our area Sen. Dan Sparks for carrying the bill in the Senate.
Please keep sending me your thoughts and questions as we enter the final weeks of session. You can reach me any time at
rep.peggy.bennett@house.mn or by phone at
651-296-8216. You can follow my updates on Twitter at
www.twitter.com/peggyabennett or on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/reppeggybennett.
Guest Pastor
It was great to have Pastor Brynn Harms and his wife Tanya from Wells in town on Wednesday. Brynn gave the prayer at the beginning of session. Throughout the year, pastors, priests, and other faith leaders give the opening prayer before each one of our legislative sessions.
Have a great weekend,
Peggy Bennett
State Representative, District 27A