Friends,
This week was the first committee deadline week at the legislature. In order to continue going through the legislative process, bills must be approved in the body (House or Senate) that they were introduced in by the first deadline. This made for a busy week of bills being heard in committees for me and my colleagues! I had a number of bills I am authoring receive hearings in committees this week, so I wanted to fill you in on a few that I haven’t previously mentioned.
Met Council Reform
On Monday, I presented my bill to take steps towards reforming the Metropolitan Council. The Met Council is tasked with overseeing land use, transit, and wastewater planning for the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area. Over the years, the Met Council has become a multi-billion dollar bureaucracy that has overreached its originally-intended responsibilities, and has become unaccountable to many of the communities it represents. Accordingly, reform has become necessary in order to restore accountability to local governments of the metro area. My bill would reform the council’s scope of governance by establishing four year, staggered terms for council members, modifying the council’s nominating process, and ensuring relevant qualifications for council members. With Governor Dayton indicating he is open to reforms this year, the legislature will continue its efforts to overhaul the Met Council and hold it accountable in the weeks ahead.
Pharmacist Prescription Authorization Bill
On Tuesday, I presented my bill to authorize pharmacists to prescribe tobacco cessation medications, opiate antagonists to treat overdoses, and travel medications. Current law allows physicians to prescribe medications but bars pharmacists from doing the same. Tobacco and nicotine cessation products are important components of helping people quit smoking, while opiate antagonists can be pivotal in saving lives by preventing opioid overdose deaths. Making these medications more accessible by allowing pharmacists to directly prescribe them to patients that may need them is a simple but significant reform that I am proud to advocate for. This bill was approved on Tuesday and will continue its way through the committee process.
MNLARS Update
The legislature took meaningful steps forward this week in fixing the broken MNLARS system that many of you have experienced problems with firsthand. The House and Senate both passed compromised legislation yesterday to provide $10 million in emergency funding to address the problems that have plagued the system since last summer. In addition to the funding, this bill also includes strict legislative oversight on the project to ensure the money is being spent properly and progress is being made. With nearly $100 million in taxpayer money already spent on MNLARS, Minnesotans deserve a working system. This legislation implements significant reforms to increase accountability and ensure real solutions are the result of the additional funding.
Governor Dayton approved the legislation by signing it into law last night.
Governor’s Supplemental Budget Proposal
Last Friday, Governor Dayton released his supplemental budget proposal for the remainder of session. The Governor’s proposed budget includes fee increases on DMV fees to provide more funding for fixes for the troubled MNLARS system, as well as other tax increases totaling more than a billion dollars to finance more government spending. Furthermore, the proposal indicates the intention to revisit some of the tax changes signed into law last session. Simply stated, I believe it would be irresponsible to ask Minnesotans to pay more in taxes and fees when our state has a budget surplus exceeding $300 million.
Nonetheless, I was pleased to hear his commitment to prioritize improvements in school safety as well as funding for school-linked mental health grants. I also support his proposal for the badly needed funding to help deputy registrars across the state that have been hurt by MNLARS complications. I am optimistic for a productive session working with the Governor on these important issues and others to keep the momentum going from last year.
Visitors
It was wonderful to get the chance to visit with all the people from our community that were at the Capitol this week. Here are photos of a few:
Ryan Monio of Lakeville who is VP of Public Relations with Business Professionals of America
Chris, Aaron and Dennis with Chrestomathy Useful Learning
Contact Me
If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding any issue related to state government, please feel free to contact me at either 651-296-5387 or rep.roz.peterson@house.mn.
Sincerely,
