In this Edition
- Final Peppin Email Update
- Special Session Update
- MinnTriv Trivia Contest
Dear Neighbors,
Final Peppin Email Update
Rules of the Campaign Finance Board require legislators to cease using all state provided resources, including email lists, 60 days after the end of the legislative session in an election year. The 60 day constituent communication window closes on Friday, July 22. Consequently, I will no longer be able to send out legislative email updates until after the November 8 election.
Please be assured that my office is always available to you and your family should you need assistance on any constituent concerns related to state government. Additionally, I am always available to answer your questions and welcome your input and ideas on how we can improve state government. My direct line is 651-296-7806. My email address is rep.joyce.peppin@house.mn and my mailing address is Room 459 State Office Building, 100 Dr. Martin Luther King Boulevard, St. Paul, MN 55155.
I encourage you to contact me if I can help you in any way, and I thank you for the honor and privilege of serving as your State Representative.
Special Session Update
Discussions with legislative leadership and the governor continue in an attempt to reach agreement for a special legislative session to deal with outstanding tax and transportation issues.
As you may recall, Governor Dayton vetoed the tax bill over a very minor drafting error that could have been fixed administratively. The bill received strong bipartisan support, gaining the votes of 89 percent of the entire legislature. Rarely do tax bills receive such widespread support, so this veto came as a surprise to many.
The capital investment, or bonding bill, also passed the House with strong support from Republican and Democrat legislators. It is an important bill as it contains many long overdue transportation construction projects across the state. Equally important, the bill does not contain many of the “pork barrel” projects that past bonding bills have had.
Unfortunately, a small number of Democrats in the Senate added an amendment to fund the highly controversial, excessively-over-budget Southwest Light Rail transit project. This killed the bill in the Senate.
There is still strong disagreement over Southwest Light Rail transit, and there is no guarantee an overall agreement on a special session will be reached. However, the two sides are closer than we were at the end of the legislative session and if negotiations continue in good faith, we hope to convene a one-day special session to pass tax relief and a bonding bill.
Final MinnTriv Trivia Contest
Thank you to everyone who participated in the last MinnTriv quiz!
"Eagle Mountain in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area is 2,301 feet high" was the answer to the trivia question: Where is the highest point of elevation in Minnesota and how high is it?
Congratulations to Andy Sjerven from Rogers for having the first correct response, and thank you to everyone who participated in my email trivia questions over the past several months. We’ll be back later this year with more trivia!
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Have a wonderful summer and fall. I look forward to seeing you at community events in the months ahead!
Joyce
**Encourage your neighbors and friends to sign up for my email updates at www.house.mn/34A