Hello from the State Capitol,
There is good news to report from St. Paul, as House Democrats have ended their boycott of the Capitol and have decided to show up for work.
You’ll recall Democrats previously did not want to work under a Republican House majority. They held out for 23 days, and Minnesota’s taxpayers ultimately paid them nearly $220,000 while they chose to sit at home.
An agreement between both sides has now been reached. There are a few specifics worth noting. The first is that there will be a Republican Speaker of the House for the first time in six years. Lisa Demuth was elected to the post, and Minnesota is in good hands with Lisa at the helm.
We will also be able to tackle Minnesota’s rampant fraud problem head on. Democrats have agreed to the creation of the Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee, and to allow Republicans to hold a majority on the committee for the next two years. As a member of the Legislative Audit Commission, we have been finding fraudulent activity for two years and have been able to do little about it. Now that Republicans control the committee, we will not only let the public know where the fraud is taking place, but also subpoena those in government and force them to testify if they do not provide the information being sought by the fraud committee.
I’m not sure what was accomplished by the Democrat holdout, but the good news is Minnesota House business can now begin.
LOCAL MEETINGS
The absence of Democrats for more than three weeks did not stop local residents from visiting. The Jostock’s are members of the local Farmer’s Union and dropped in to discuss ag issues this week.
I also was able to meet with members of the Nature Conservancy, to discuss environmental issues within our district as well as the state.
KEEP IN TOUCH
As always, if you ever have any legislative questions, please contact me. I can be reached at rep.steven.jacob@house.mn.gov or by phone at 651.296.2273.
Have a good weekend,
Steve