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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Jeff Howe (R)

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Update from the House

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Dear Neighbor,

Congratulations to Bradley Vanderpool of Paynesville for earning an Eagle Scout award. In a personal letter to Bradley, I commended him for demonstrating high leadership qualities and moral character. I added that lessons he has learned in scouting will serve him throughout life’s endeavors and have given him a great start as a future leader.

As for legislative news, constituents have been asking me about a so-called “move over” bill (H.F. 3832) which would fine drivers who clog the lane on the freeway. Current law says drivers traveling below the “normal speed of traffic” shall stay in the right-hand lane, unless they are passing another vehicle or making a left-hand turn. That’s the way it should be, but all too often we see people just camped out in the left lane, either oblivious or not caring what’s going on behind them. A dozen or so other states have laws like this on the books and I say Minnesota should, too, if it could help reduce congestion, relieve frustration and ultimately make our roads safer.

Thank you to the school administrators, staff and students from multiple districts in our area who came to the Capitol to discuss school safety. They asked for one thing and that was more access to mental health counseling for all their schools.

Interestingly, one area school district has developed a contract with a mental health provider which allowed them to double the availability of services. I have put in a request to learn more about exactly how they accomplished this innovative arrangement in the hopes other districts can duplicate good ideas for their own use.

The House is making progress on a rather large number of proposals that would increase mental health resources for our children and also strengthen school security. Look for a package of initiatives to be unveiled yet this session. As those efforts continue, I did cover some recent accomplishments in an email earlier this month. Click here for that.

On a somewhat similar note, a bipartisan series of three bills related to mental health for farm families were discussed in a House Agriculture Finance Committee meeting Tuesday. All three bills remain in the mix for passage this session. Here is a quick snapshot of each and you can click on the bill numbers for details:

  • H.F. 2888: Mental health counseling for farm families and farm business operators funding provided, and money appropriated.
  • H.F. 3255: Mental health counseling funding provided, and money appropriated.
  • H.F. 2896: Mental health counseling and advocate services funding provided, and money appropriated.

One of the biggest things we did on the House floor this week was to ratify worker contracts for around 30,000 state employees. This issue became a bit contentious several months ago when state officials did not show us, in black and white, that the proposed numbers fit together in the confines of funding that has been provided for state worker contracts.

Now, Minnesota Management & Budget did come up with the information we requested and the contracts were approved. Now the key will be ensuring their blueprint works so they don’t just come back to the Legislature asking for more money. History paints a pessimistic picture, so time will tell. The last time these state employee contracts were negotiated, the final cost exceeded projections by $100 million.

Look for more news from the House soon. Until next time, here is wishing you and your family a blessed Easter/Passover holiday.

Good luck,

Jeff