Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Our fabulous spring weather continues this week! We have so many outdoor activities scheduled in our community this weekend – I hope to see you out at the many sporting and family fun events!
Here are the highlights from week eight at our Capitol:
- Real ID – Passes out of Civil Law and State Gov Finance Committees
- Health and Human Services Bill – Passed off the House Floor
- Education Bill – Passed off the House Floor
- Solar Energy of MN Meeting
Real ID Bill – Passes out of Civil Law and Data Practices Committee and State Government Finance
I was pleased that my Real ID bill that will allow Minnesotans to continue to fly commercially was passed out of the Civil Law and Data Practices Committee and the State Government Finance Committee with bipartisan support. Next week, this bill will be in the Transportation Committee and I look forward to it being on the House floor soon. Also, the Department of Homeland Security told us this week that they are close in completing our extension application.
Health and Human Services
Yesterday, we voted on and passed our health and human services bill. One of the important parts of this legislation transitions our state from MNsure to the federal healthcare exchange. MNsure has spent $300 million and residents still aren’t receiving the type of customer service they deserve. By switching to the federal exchange, we give Minnesotans a reprieve from this tiresome system.
Education Bill
As a father of a 17-year-old looking at colleges, I know how expensive our universities can be. We passed our omnibus education bill – with broad bipartisan support – to help address this problem.
One of the proposals in the bill would help fund teachers continuing their education in order to become qualified to teach college classes in our high schools. These concurrent enrollment classes allow our high school students to take college courses free of charge.
If we can help teachers gain the necessary qualifications, more schools might offer these programs. We could help limit loan debt by allowing students to take these free classes and spend less on tuition when they get to college.
Solar Energy for Minnesota
This week I met with the Solar Energy of Minnesota company – a Maple Grove based business that is working on making our renewal energy sources more affordable and efficient for our energy needs. I always enjoy meeting with our local small businesses who create jobs for area residents.
The 2016 session concludes in three weeks. The final days will be filled with completing the important pieces of legislation that I have been working on this session. If you have any questions or concerns about these bills, please contact me. It is my privilege to represent our community at the Capitol. I can be reached via email at Rep.Dennis.Smith@house.mn, by phone at 651-296-5502, and US mail address: 13570 Grove Drive, #370, Maple Grove, MN, 55311.
Have a great weekend!
Dennis
P.S. Please encourage your neighbors and friends to sign up for my email updates here.