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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Bob Dettmer (R)

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Legislative Update from Rep. Bob Dettmer

Friday, March 23, 2018

Dear Friends,

Here is an update with the latest news from the Capitol.

Stillwater Bonding Request

This week, the Capital Investment Committee heard my legislation that would appropriate $1.65 million to the city of Stillwater to restore the St. Croix River riverbank area, as well as construct an integrated walkway there. The city would match those funds provided by the state. 

This is an important local project for our community. I toured the project near historic downtown with members of the Capital Investment Committee and saw the critical need for this project.

The second year of a biennium is generally considered a “bonding year” at the Capitol, and should a bonding bill move forward this year, I will be advocating for this project as part of reasonably sized bill that funds critical infrastructure and transportation needs across the state.

Shafer City Council Meeting

On Tuesday, I spoke to the Shafer City Council, and we discussed the 2018 legislative session and community priorities for state government.

I always appreciate collaborating with locally-elected leaders, as we all share the goal of making our community an even better place to live, work and raise a family. Thank you for having me!

Local Construction

With warmer weather brings the start of critical infrastructure projects in our community. One of the large ones is the I-35 North Metro Split between Highway 97 and Highway 8 that will impact traffic in our community. The project will see some long term lane closures through the fall as they resurface roads, extend the use of pavement and replace three bridges.

While road construction can be a hassle at times, these are critical infrastructure upgrades needed in our community to improve safety and traffic flow. You can learn more about the project here.

MNLARS

For Minnesotans who have run into problems with our broken licensing system MNLARS, I have another update this week. On Thursday, the House and Senate passed compromise legislation that will provide the first requested funding by the Dayton Administration for fixes, while putting a number of critical oversight measures in place.

Taxpayers have already spent nearly $100 million on the program, and they are rightly angry at the failure of the Dayton Administration and state government to get this done. They expect and deserve a licensing system that works.

We are implementing needed reforms to ensure better oversight of tax dollars as we move forward.

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As always, thank you for the honor of being your state representative. Please contact me with any questions or input you may have; I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Bob