Hello Friends,
This week proved to be action-packed! Here are a couple of the highlights.
REAL ID First Step
On Tuesday, March 29th, the House voted to lift the ban currently preventing the Department of Public Safety (DPS) from making any effort toward implementing REAL ID. This means that DPS can now research the costs and logistics of switching to REAL ID, and report their findings back to the legislature.
This information will help my colleagues and I know what the best approach is to getting Minnesotans their REAL IDs in a convenient way, and keeping personal data protected. I’ll continue to update you as this issue progresses.
Education Policy Omnibus Bill
Yesterday, the Education Innovation Policy Committee held our first hearing on our omnibus bill for this session. This bill contains several reforms that will empower students, families, and teachers and strengthen the education system in Minnesota. As a member of Education Policy, I have heard so many great ideas for reform presented in our committee, and I think this bill does a wonderful job of incorporating some of the best ideas from this biennium.
The bill includes several innovative approaches. One that I found really exciting was partnering the Department of Education with MNSCU to use the MCAs exams as a gauge of college readiness, and enabling students to bypass remedial college courses if they meet a certain threshold. This approach would allow school districts more freedom to develop partnerships with organizations to focus education toward career readiness and technical education.
This bill will do so much to strengthen our children's educations in Minnesota, and I look forward to following it through the legislative process. If you would like more information, here is a link to the House Public Information article on the bill hearing, including a brief summary of the bill's content: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/sessiondaily/SDView.aspx?StoryID=10066.
Bill Hearings from This Week
Last week I also presented two bills in committee that would benefit our district.
The first, HF2653 requests bonding money to improve the safety of the Mississippi River Regional Trail railroad crossing in Dakota County. This bill was heard by the Mining and Outdoor Recreation Policy Committee and is on its way to the Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Finance Committee.
The second bill, HF2825, would make changes to the Manufactured Home Relocation Trust Fund. It a nut-shell, it increases the maximum and minimum amounts that can be reimbursed to a homeowner to cover the moving costs if they are forced to relocate from a manufactured home park. The Trust Fund is funded by annual fees of $12 per home paid by the homeowners, so there is no taxpayer funding involved. The bill was heard in the Greater Minnesota Economic and Workforce Development Policy Committee, and has been sent to the State Government Finance committee for a hearing.
Lighthouse Explorers Christian Child Care Center
This last Monday, March 28th, I had the pleasure of touring the Lighthouse Explorers Christian Child Care Center in Rosemount. They take such good care of our community’s children, and they shared with me how devastating universal pre-k would be to them, and the families they serve!
Rosemount Let’s Do Lunch
Also on Monday, I had the chance to stop by the Dakota County Regional Chamber Let’s Do Lunch gathering at Celts in Rosemount. It was great to give a legislative update and discuss the Chamber’s priorities for this session.
Apple Valley Home and Garden Expo
The Apple Valley Home and Garden Expo is tomorrow, Saturday, April 2nd. The event will be held at the Dakota County Westerns Service Center located at 14955 Galaxie Avenue in Apple Valley, from 9:00am-3:00 p.m.; stop by and start planning for spring!
Thank You for Stopping By!
I had the pleasure of visiting with so many of you this week. So many great ideas stem from visits like these, and it’s essential and encouraging to have people in our area so involved with the legislative process. Groups stopped by to share their perspectives on several topics, including financial and insurance issues, and some folks from District 196 stopped by to share their legislative priorities. Again, thank you to these groups, and everyone else who stopped by to share your priorities for this session!
As always, please don't hesitate to contact me with your comments, questions, and concerns. Email me any time at rep.anna.wills@house.mn or call 651-296-4306. You can also follow my updates on Facebook at www.facebook.com/repannawills and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/annacwills.
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Anna