Greetings from the Floor,
Bills passed by the House this week were:
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HF 2445: Osteopathic physician licensure requirement modified
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HF 2803: Emergency admission early termination notice requirements for civil commitments
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HF 3308: Alternative dispute resolution information must be provided by courts for family law cases
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HF 3482: Statute of limitations expanded for identity theft crimes
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SF 2227: Forth degree assault against a peace officer offense clarification
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HF 71: Penalties enhanced for criminal vehicular homicide within 10 years of a qualifying offense
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HF 2954: Motor vehicle distribution unfair practices regulated
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HF 3167: Congressional Medal of Honor character development education encouraged
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HF 3423: Criminal and juvenile justice information advisory group provided
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HF 3944: Radon testing and mitigation: rule making for licensure and work standards; allowing local governments to require inspections or permits
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SF 3084: Small vehicle passenger service ordinances that regulate pedicabs
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HF 1066: Competitive market regulation for local exchange carriers
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HF 3305: Child foster care provider training required
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SF 107: CARE Act: hospitals required to provide patients aftercare information upon discharge and allow patients to designate a caregiver
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SF 2539: Nursing facility payment language technical recodification
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SF 2869: Tax debt included as debt covered under debt settlement services
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SF 2986: Authorizing cities to exempt land less than 20 acres from fence viewing process and adopt fence policies
The Senate Majority released its Capital Investment bill on Monday. The bill included $39.7 million for the 20/21 Street grade separation in Moorhead, $3.3 million dollars for the Heartland Trail and $1.1 million for Minnesota State University Moorhead campus improvements. The Senate took up the bill yesterday with debate and votes by the entire body. In the end, the bill was defeated with one vote shy of passage. The House Majority still has not released a bill. I’m hopeful the Senate will have another chance to pass a Capital Investment bill this session, and that the House will put out a bill soon. With two weeks left in the session, time is getting more and more of a critical resource. The Legislature must use its time wisely and focus on the big picture items like a Tax bill and Capital Investment bill in order to make this a truly productive session. There is too much need for infrastructure projects and tax policy around the state for us not to act on these very important matters.
The Cold Weather Rule ended on April 15 and some homeowners may face disconnection of their utilities because of unpaid bills. However, help is available from the Energy Assistance Program (EAP) until July 1st, according to the Department of Commerce. The program helps homeowners and renters obtain grant money to help pay their energy bills if they earn less than 50% of the state’s media income. Funding is administered on a first-come, first-served basis, so I encourage eligible people to apply as soon as possible. For more information, please call 1-800-657-3710 or visit the EAP sectionof the Commerce Department’s website (https://mn.gov/commerce/consumers/consumer-assistance/energy-assistance/).
Thank You for the Opportunity to Serve,
Ben