Dear Neighbor,
Before we get to House business, I want to say I am disappointed the March 17 coffee meeting I had planned to conduct in Walker will have to be postponed due to a conflict with the House schedule in St. Paul. I will pass along any rescheduling info as it becomes available.
We have received good news on the efforts to construct a veterans home in Bemidji: Beltrami County has stepped up and pledged $1 million to the project. I am an author of a House bonding proposal which would allocate $10 million for the home. One thing to note is the state’s biggest bonding bills traditionally are done in even-numbered years, but we’ll keep working and see what shakes out this year.
On the subject of veterans, a few other bills I have authored to help them are moving through the committee process. Here is a quick look at some:
- H.F. 1527 Support Our Troops account grant expansion: Expands how grant funds generated by the sales of Support Our Troops license plates can be used to benefit Minnesota National Guard members. It also expands the maximum grant from $2,000 to $4,000.
- H.F. 1438 Veterans Journey Home: Appropriates $350,000 in both 2018 and 2019 to the Department of Veterans Affairs for the grants to Veterans Journey Home so they could provide new or rehabbed affordable housing to veterans and their families.
- H.F. 1682 Veterans Voice: Provides $682,250 in both 2018 and 2019 to the Department of Administration for grants provided to 18 independent community radio stations throughout the state. These stations are members of the Association of Minnesota Public Educational Radio Stations.
Another bill I have authored to help get the most out of broadband grants continues moving through the House. The bill (H.F. 1250) would expand the sales tax exemption for telecommunications equipment to include wire, cable, fiber, poles, and conduit for telecommunications services. The current system lacks common sense, with the state issuing grants broadband grants only to turn around and collect sales taxes on materials purchased with that grant money. Paul Bunyan Communications, for example, would have saved an estimated $200,000 last year alone and been able to put that money toward expanding broadband in our region instead of paying taxes.
Finally, I announced this week that I am putting a hold on legislation that would look into upgrades for State Highway 371. The bill (H.F. 1437) would study the feasibility of improving the Paul Bunyan Expressway from Jenkins to Cass Lake. This issue is too important to rush through the process. We need to take more time discussing this subject back in the district and I plan to meet with local residents and officials. My mission remains to do what is best for the people in District 5A and, at this point, we need to pause and regroup.
Until next time,
Matt