By Rep. Paul Anderson
Even though the next legislative session doesn’t begin until March 8, the number of meetings is already ramping up. In fact, there is a pre-filing deadline for bill introduction this Wednesday, Jan. 27. There is a general feeling that, because the session will be so short (11 weeks), we need to get as much of the introductory work done beforehand as possible.
I have scheduled a series of town hall meetings for this Saturday, Jan. 30. Meetings will be in Glenwood, Sauk Centre, and Melrose.
Following are the times and locations for the three meetings this coming Saturday.
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Glenwood, 8:30 am. Central Square, Suite 111, 105 2nd Ave. N.E.
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Sauk Centre, 10:30 am. Lynx National Golf Course clubhouse, S. Highway 71 at 40204 Primrose Lane
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Melrose, 1:30 pm. Melrose City Center, 225 First St. N.E.
Residents are invited to attend any one of these sessions to hear an update on legislative activity, in addition to sharing with me their thoughts and ideas. I look forward to visiting with you on Saturday.
My staff is also in the process of scheduling additional town hall meetings the following week. We will have information on those gatherings when details are finalized.
In addition, an “Ag Issues Roundtable” will be held in Alexandria next month, on Feb. 9. We will hear reports on topics such as Farm Business Management, Avian Influenza, and farm safety, among others. The location will be the Alexandria Technical and Community College. More details on that event as the date gets closer.
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It would appear that we will not be called back for a special session. As the date of the regular session draws closer, the need to be called back immediately is diminished. In addition, several of the items up for discussion for possible inclusion in a special session are not that easily decided. Previous special sessions I’ve been involved with have been for a single topic, usually storm damage, where there was general agreement. In addition, with the deadline for compliance concerning federal ID standards being pushed back two years, the need for immediate action on that topic has been taken away.
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See you this Saturday in Glenwood, Sauk Centre, or Melrose!