Dear Neighbor,
Before we get to this week’s big news, just a reminder to folks that I will be hosting a coffee meeting 8-10 a.m. tomorrow (Friday, Feb. 17) at Raphael’s Bakery in Bemidji (319 Minnesota Ave.). Hope you can attend and discuss the issues.
The big news from the House this week is I have co-authored legislation to construct veterans homes in two underserved regions of Minnesota, including one in Bemidji.
The proposal is called the Minnesota Veterans and Quality of Life Act (H.F. 1109). It would allocate a total of $16 million in bonding proceeds to construct two veterans facilities, with $10 million for one in Bemidji.
This issue is one of my very top priorities this session. Bemidji is in a black hole in terms of access to veterans homes. The nearest one is more than two hours away from Bemidji and that is a real obstacle for people in serious need.
Reports indicate the proposal would help provide service to roughly 30,000 veterans in northern Minnesota who are isolated from existing state veterans homes. Our veterans have sacrificed so much and we need to do more to make sure they get the care they deserve.
Another issue of importance to people in our part of the state is efforts to stop Aquatic Invasive Species. I attended an interesting meeting this week where we received information regarding work being done at a U of M research facility. We also discussed ways of getting a more consistent stream of funding in place to combat AIS. The key is finding the best way of applying existing revenue to this project so we can better manage the situation without resorting to raising taxes/fees on boat licenses, etc.
Thanks for all the continued feedback as we make our way through the session. One thing we haven’t gotten into too much early in the session is the state’s new two-year budget we will be working on. That project will start to rev up once we receive a new economic forecast in the next few weeks and know exactly what we’re working with.
Until next time, hope to see you at tomorrow's coffee meeting and have a good weekend.
Sincerely,
Matt