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Minnesota House of Representatives

State Representative Tim O'Driscoll

357 State Office BuildingState Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-7808

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Posted: 2011-05-12 00:00:00
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Email update

Putting finishing touches on budget bills

Dear Neighbor,

With less than two weeks to go in the session, conference committees are hard at work resolving difference in budget bills and taking care of other legislative business.

Here's a quick update on some matters that the House of Representative has been working on:

Voter ID:

Last week, the House passed H.F. 210 which would require voters to show a photo ID to prove who they are before voting. Election integrity is an issue that many constituents have told me is important to them. This is a common sense measure that will enhance the integrity of our voting system. In a recent poll by the Star Tribune, 80 percent of respondents said they favor the proposal.

Vikings Stadium:

There are currently two proposals for a new Vikings stadium: one in Minneapolis and one in Arden Hills, a suburb in Ramsey County. According to team officials today, the Vikings favor the Arden Hills plan. While I hope the Vikings stay in Minnesota, I am opposed to any plan that would use general fund dollars to pay for a stadium.

Veterans:

As many of you know, I have a history of supporting our troops and veterans. However, recently a some fireworks were launched between the legislature and governor on veterans issues when the governor claimed our budget makes cuts to veterans. However, if the House budget were to pass as is, Veterans Affairs would receive a 2.4% increase and Military Affairs an 8% increase. Additionally, our budget would extend the Higher Education Veteran Assistance Program which allows campus veterans assistance officers at higher education institutions. It also provides $100,000 per year grant to the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans from the Support Our Troops Fund to help the state’s homeless veterans

School Land Trust:

Gov. Mark Dayton has declared today, May 12, 2011 as School Trust Lands Day. When Minnesota became a state, every township granted two sections of land to benefit public schools. Revenues from the sale of these lands, minerals and other resources associated with them are placed in a trust for the benefit of public school students in the state of Minnesota.

In March of this year, public schools in District 14A received the following "dividend" from the trust fund and second payment of a similar amount is anticipated to be paid in September of this year.

Sartell-St. Stephen Schools $47,958
Sauk Rapids-Rice Schools $50,498
Holdingford Schools $12,123
St. Cloud Schools $141, 523

-Tim

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