Dear Friends and Neighbors,
It was great to attend the Maple Grove Lions and TwinWest meetings over the last couple weeks and to see so many of the great leaders in our community. It has been a busy week at the Capitol as committees started working on bills. As I told someone last week, it is like graduate school in multiple disciplines every day! I hope you all have a great weekend!
MNLARS Funding Request & Audit
Last week, Governor Walz requested $15.7 million to help to clean up the MNLARS mess that has made it such a headache for Minnesotans going to the DMV for services. The problem is this request for almost $16 million comes without any plan to fix the MNLARS or details in how the appropriation would be used. Even worse, there was no similar request to make the deputy registrars whole from the harm they have suffered during the entire MNLARS mess. Fortunately, a bill was heard this week in the Transportation Finance/Policy Division on Tuesday to provide reimbursement for deputy registrars.
This week I met with a deputy registrar from Rogers who described the financial losses deputy registrars are incurring because of all of the delays and failures of this system. If we don't address this soon, many of the local license service centers across the state will close, which will increase service delays even longer.
Minnesotans deserve a licensing system that works, but Minnesotans deserve to see a detailed plan on what improvements we can expect before we put one more penny into MNLARS. In addition, any plan to fund this disastrous government boondoggle must include relief for our deputy registrars who have suffered financial losses and countless headaches because of the failures of MNLARS.
On Thursday, the Legislative Audit Commission met to review a long-awaited Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) report titled Factors That Contributed to MNLARS Problems. Studying and learning from this report should help us to make sure we avoid preventable IT mistakes like MNLARS in the future.
Line 3 Pipeline
On Tuesday, Governor Walz chose to file a petition with the MN Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to reconsider the Certificate of Need, which had been unanimously approved by the commission. This project would provide millions of dollars in economic development and tax revenue for our state. Furthermore, replacing an aging pipeline will improve environmental safety and reduce the number of oil trains that currently travel through our state.
I was surprised and disappointed with Governor Walz’s decision. This was his first real opportunity to live up to his campaign promises of bridging divides and promoting “One Minnesota.” Instead, he chose to allow one branch of government to sue another branch of government and throw more roadblocks in the way of a project that is vital for our economic and environmental future.
Go Red For Women
Heart disease is the #1 killer of women. The American Heart Association's Go Red for Women movement to take charge of their heart health and get a FREE heart health screening at a local minute clinic any Thursday in February. I am already signed up for my screening later in the month and I encourage you to do the same! Click here for more information and to find the clinic nearest to you.
Things to Know
The MN Dept. of Commerce is responsible for regulating a wide range of businesses and responding to customer inquiries and complaints. If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact the Dept. of Commerce's Consumer Services Center at 651-539-1600 or 1-800-657-3602. You can also check out the consumer section of their website.
Photos from the Week
Rep. Robbins attended the swearing in of new Senator and former Rep. Jason Rarick in the Senate Chambers
Rep. Robbins with Elissa her student shadow from this past week.
This week, animals from the Como Zoo & Conservatory came to the Capitol for a
meeting of the House Legacy Committee!
Please Contact Me
Many of you have already been in touch to discuss your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you. Thank you for sharing your ideas! Please continue to contact me to discuss any legislation put before the House or any other matters to which I can be of assistance. You can set up a time to visit me at the Capitol by calling me at 651-296-7806 or by email at rep.kristin.robbins@house.mn. My office is located on the second floor of the State Office Building in room 225.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve! Have a great weekend!
Kristin