Greetings from Moorhead,
Sen. Eken and I are holding two town halls in Moorhead to discuss issues and answer questions regarding the 2016 legislative session. The dates, times and locations of the two meetings are as follows:
Saturday, January 30 at 10:00 a.m. in the Probstfield Board Room at the Probstfield Center for Education, 2410 14th St S, Moorhead
Saturday, February 20 at 10:00 a.m. at the Robert Asp School Library, 910 11th St N, Moorhead
I am also holding three other town halls. The dates, times and locations of those meetings are as follows:
Saturday, January 16 at 10:00 a.m. at Bethesda Church, 401 40th Ave S, Moorhead
Saturday, January 23 at 10:00 a.m. at Horizon School, 3601 12th Ave S, Moorhead
Saturday, February 27 at 10:00 a.m. at Oakport Town Hall, 1401 28th Ave N, Moorhead
Three legislative work groups met on Thursday to discuss possible Special Session issues. The three issues are Minnesota’s implementation of the federal READ IDs, extended unemployment opportunities for laid off iron range workers and economic disparities facing minorities in Minnesota. No definitive action was taken by any of the three work groups and they will continue to meet this week. On Friday, Governor Dayton met with legislative leaders to talk about these issues and the possibility of a Special Session. No conclusions were reached, although Speaker Daudt made comments after the meeting that there is much work to do on the issues and meetings would continue this week.
Good news about REAL IDs was announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Friday. The department gave Minnesota a two year extension to find a solution to the issue of REAL IDs. Minnesotans will now be able to board airliners with regular state driver’s licenses until January 22, 2018. This is a huge relief for many in the state, but does not mean the Legislature can rest on the issue as the DHS also stressed the need for continued work by state leaders on REAL ID compliance.
Thank You for the Opportunity to Serve,
Ben