Dear Neighbors,
It’s been a busy week in St. Paul as the 2nd committee deadline is today, Friday. This means that most bills that haven’t received hearings in committee by this point likely are “dead” for this year.
I had a bill receive a hearing in the Judiciary and Civil Law Committee on Tuesday. House File 1134 would require public accommodations to provide closed captioning for deaf and hard-of-hearing Minnesotans. I appreciate the committee’s support of this bill and thanks to Sonny Wasilowski, from Faribault, for testifying in support of this legislation!
The bill will now head to the House Floor for approval from the entire House of Representatives. This is a huge win for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community!
Gas prices going even higher?
This week, House Democrats heard legislation in committee that would increase already soaring gas prices and worsen supply-chain issues by forcing California fuel regulations on Minnesotans. House File 2083 would cause the cost of gasoline and diesel fuel to increase by 20 cents per gallon in the near term and up to 54 cents per gallon by 2035. The proposal would force the average Minnesota household to spend an additional $210 to $570 per year, every single year at the pump.
At a time when Minnesotans are struggling with soaring gas prices, it is unconscionable that Democrats would consider legislation that would harm family budgets even more. It’s time to do away with these tone-deaf proposals and get to work to make sure we are doing what we can to decrease the burden on Minnesota families.
Avian Influenza Comes to Minnesota
Cases of highly pathogenetic avian flu have been detected in Minnesota as farmers are concerned that another avian flu outbreak could be on the way. Back in 2015, 9 million birds in Minnesota were killed by a similar avian flu virus or euthanized to slow its spread.
A reminder, avian influenza does not pose a food safety risk and poultry products remain safe and nutritious.
The 2015 outbreak was devastating to the agricultural community. In response, the legislature provided significant funds to help deal with the emergency and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) instituted numerous biosecurity measures meant to slow the spread of avian flu. These biosecurity measures have us in a much better place this year compared to 2015.
Here in St. Paul, our leads on this issue have been holding weekly calls with MDA and are working proactively with stakeholders to make sure we minimize the impacts of this outbreak. The Board of Animal Health has set up a website with resources on this matter and I encourage you to visit it to learn more about ways to prevent outbreaks: https://www.bah.state.mn.us/hpai/
Staying in Touch
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me to share any thoughts or concerns you may have about state government or the job I'm doing as your representative. It would be great to talk with you. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-8237 or via email at rep.brian.daniels@house.mn.
Also, if you plan to be in St. Paul anytime soon, please reach out to my office to set up an appointment. It would be great to chat with you and discuss ways we can strengthen our communities and state!
Have a great day,
Brian