Dear Friends,
We have approximately five weeks remaining this legislative session, and most finance committees have had their final bill hearings and are now finalizing their omnibus bills.
Transportation Omnibus Proposal
The House Transportation Committee is finalizing its omnibus proposal, and this last Monday, I testified in favor of a request (HF2801) for funds to reconstruct the County 42 and U.S. Hwy 52 interchange in Rosemount. Here is a clip of the bill discussion in Monday’s committee hearing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvfO2bJEiC8&feature=youtu.be
This funding proposal has bipartisan support, and I’m optimistic that it will be included in the final transportation omnibus bill.
REAL ID Costs
On Thursday, April 14th, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) announced their initial findings on the logistics and costs of implementing REAL ID. DPS estimates the costs of switching to REAL ID to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $4.3 million to $5.1 million to cover training, update technology, and other expenses associated with issuing the new licenses.
This is actually good news for Minnesota, because the Department of Vehicle Services currently has around $12 million available in their operating accounts that could be used to transition to REAL ID. Here in the House Public Information Service’s coverage of the DPS report to the legislature:
http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/sessiondaily/SDView.aspx?StoryID=10137
I’ll continue to update you on this issue as it moves forward.
Education Finance Proposal
As I mentioned in last week’s update, the House Education Policy and Education Finance Committees announced their omnibus provisions. Many of Governor Dayton’s provisions from his supplemental proposal have also been included in our House proposal.
Both Governor Dayton’s proposal and our House Education Finance provisions include my bill, HF 2411, which is a funding request for $69,000 in early learning funds for the Metro Deaf School. Here a brief video clip from the Education Finance Committee regarding the Metro Deaf funding request:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0Sodvut8mw&feature=youtu.be
Again, I will keep you appraised as the omnibus provisions move forward in the House!
Rosemount Police Officer and Firefighter of the Year
Congratulations to Officer Beth Richtsmeier, 2015 Rosemount Police Officer of the Year, and to Lieutenant Chris Besnett, 2015 Rosemount Firefighter of the Year! We appreciate your service to our community! You can use this link to see the announcement on the City of Rosemount’s website:
http://www.ci.rosemount.mn.us/civicalerts.aspx?AID=128
Rosemount High Garage Sale
U of M Remedial Investigation of UMore Park
Again, just in the way of a reminder, the University of Minnesota (U of M) will be conducting an investigation into environmental impacts at the UMore Park/ Former Gopher Ordinance Works Site. The UMore site was used as smokeless powder production center during WWII, and has been used in agricultural activities and research since it was acquired by the U of M. The investigation would look into instances of suspected release of materials into the soil.
There will be a public meeting hosted by the U of M on Tuesday, April 26th, from 6:00-8:00 pm at the Rosemount Community Center. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) will send representatives to answer questions.
Written comments will also be accepted by the MPCA from April 11th-May 12th. These comments can be turned in at the April 26th meeting, or mailed to the following address:
Mr. Gary Krueger
Remediation Division
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
520 Lafayette Avenue North
Saint Paul, MN 55155
If you would like additional information, you can contact Tim Busse from the U of M at
(612) 624-2863.
Rosemount Referendum
As I have mentioned in a previous update, Rosemount will be holding a referendum to vote on whether the City can borrow around $15 million for park and athletic complex improvements. There will be two informational meetings if you have any questions you’d like answered:
-Thursday, April 28th, from 6:00-7:30 pm at the Rosemount Community Center
-Thursday, May 5th, from 6:00-7:30 pm at the Rosemount Steeple Center
Thanks for Stopping By!
Thank you to everyone who stopped by my office this week, including Theresa and Hanna with the MAND group! I really enjoyed chatting with them about safe routes to school and nutrition; again, thanks for stopping by ladies!
It was also great talking with Emily from Gustavus Adolphus College and Taji from Bethel University regarding the State Grant Program. Both Emily and Taji were at the Capitol with the Minnesota Private Colleges and Universities Day on the Hill, and we have a great discussion about their educational experiences, and perspective on legislative priorities as current college students. Thanks for stopping by!
I’d also like to wish the Jewish members of our community a Happy Passover. I hope you enjoy the time celebrating with family and friends!
Sincerely,
Anna Wills
State Representative, District 57B