Friends,
Today, I would like to take a moment to thank all of our veterans, active military, and their families as we get set to celebrate Veterans Day this weekend. My late father served in the military and I will never forget the sacrifices he made nor the lessons he instilled in his children.
We honor the sacrifice brave men and women make in service to our nation, protecting our freedoms and liberties at home and around the world. So if you are a veteran, thank you for your service. We are the land of the free because of your bravery and sacrifice.
Many local businesses and services are offering discounts this weekend for current members of the military and veterans. A partial list of a few of those businesses offering discounts can be seen here.
Upcoming Townhall
I will be holding a townhall on Monday, November 13th beginning at 6:30 pm at the Food Court area in the Maple Grove Byerly's. Hope to see you there!
MNLARS and REAL ID
Last month's announcement that Minnesota received an extension to October 10, 2018 to start issuing REAL IDs was welcomed news. However, the issues that MNLARS, the system that the Department of Public Safety is using to issue IDs, tabs, etc., is putting even that date in jeopardy. Minnesota needs to at least have started issuing REAL IDs by that October 10, 2018 or we will need further extensions. I spoke with Tom Hauser of KSTP about this issue for his "At Issue" program. You can view the entire episode here. I also have a clip from the program here on my Facebook Page.
Problems have persisted, including problems highlighted by KSTP at the Maple Grove center. And then later in the week a state-wide outage was reported. The fact these problems continue to persist is completely unacceptable. They must be rectified and we must make sure this does not happen again. The legislature will continue to monitor this situation and demand answers from the Dayton Administration on this inexcusable failure of the MNLARS program.
Legislative Update to North Hennepin Area Chamber
On Thursday, I spoke at the North Hennepin Area Chamber of Commerce Leadership Forum. I gave an update on all the great bipartisan work we were able to get done this session, despite divided government. From my bill to make Minnesota REAL ID compliant, to a historic investment in roads and bridges, and tax relief for middle-class Minnesotans this session was indeed a great success for all of Minnesota.
Rep Smith speaking at the Leadership Forum panel
High School Page Program
The Minnesota House of Representatives High School Page Program is now accepting applications. Over the last 40 years the program has provided high school juniors with hands-on access to our state government in action. I encourage any high school junior who may be interested in learning more about the legislative process to apply for the page program by December 1st. Click here to apply!
Please continue to share your thoughts with me about our state government; bill ideas and concerns are welcomed! I am honored to serve you at the Capitol. My email address is Rep.Dennis.Smith@house.mn, phone number 651-296-5502, and by mail: 375 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.
Happy Veterans Day!
Dennis