Dear Neighbors,
What a week! We were busy at the Capitol analyzing the governor’s budget proposal in different committees, and I headed back to the district late last night to host town halls this morning throughout Kittson County. I had very constructive conversations with folks in Hallock, Lancaster, and Karlstad. I will be scheduling town halls in the remainder of the district in the weeks to come.
Speaking of Kittson County, Ruth and Rachel Quanbeck of Hallock visited me as part of Minnesota Association of Christian Home Educators’ (MACHE) Day at the Capitol.
Rep. Fabian with Ruth and Rachel Quanbeck in the Retiring Room of the Minnesota House of Representatives.
As did Tony McLean from Border State Bank (Greenbush) for the Independent Community Bankers of Minnesota’s (ICBM) Day at the Capitol, and Joe Hedrick, Airport Manager for the Thief River Falls Airport, who came as part of the Minnesota Business Aviation Association’s (MBAA) Day at the Capitol.
Tony McLean from Border State Bank (Greenbush) with Rep. Fabian in his St. Paul office.
Joel Johnson and AJ Duerr from the Minnesota Rural Electric Association (MREA) shared their legislative concerns for the upcoming session. In particular, they hope to:
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Maintain local control of rate setting, rather than giving the decision-making authority to the state’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC).
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Hold down electric rates, because generating state revenue through raising electric costs is a regressive move that hurts families.
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Prevent costly solar mandates, because renewable mandates cause an increase in rates.
Joel Johnson, Rep. Fabian, and AJ Duerr discuss legislative concerns for the Minnesota Rural Electric Association.
Dairy farmers from across the state visited my office and had similar concerns:
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Prevent additional and expanded environmental regulations and mandates.
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Keep the sales tax competitive.
I understand both the MREA and dairy farmers’ concerns, because they are very real possibilities at the Capitol these days. As I noted in last week’s update, the governor proposes to expand the sales tax on nearly every item and service, plus he hopes to add taxes on business-to-business transactions. For this reason, the editorial staff at the Grand Forks Herald said the governor’s tax plan “leaves Minnesota standing alone” in comparison to neighboring states with friendlier tax codes.
In addition, I sit on the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture committee, chaired by a member from the city of Minneapolis. I have been disappointed in the context and discussions thus far, because I feel as though the new leadership is setting the table to place more restrictions on farmers, businesses, homeowners, truck drivers, and the like. The “facts” that support more regulations are based on modeling, and not actual facts and monitoring, particularly when it comes to air quality and ground water contamination.
On another note, I had a bi-partisan meeting with Rep. Marquardt (Dilworth) to discuss the Minnesota Accountable Government Innovation and Collaboration (MAGIC) Act. I was a co-author of the bill last year, and it would give counties the authority, independence, and flexibility to save money when providing services. County officials from our district have favored this, and I will fight for its passage.
One of the services county governments provide is crime victim services. I spoke with Jeri Boisvert of the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) to determine ways to better serve victims of heinous crimes in our part of the state.
I also had a phone conversation with North Dakota Representative Vicky Steiner to discuss expediting projects approved and conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers. Their often-times slow processes have a negative effect on state and county road projects. We need to work on ways to speed them up.
And last, but not least, congratulations to Rollie Bergman of East Grand Forks who was elected as the new president of the Minnesota Newspaper Association. Rollie and his wife own several newspapers in Northwestern Minnesota, including the Greenbush Tribune, Karlstad North Star News, and Williams Northern Light.
Please let me know if you are ever in St. Paul. I would love to meet with you at my office. Or, feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you might have related to state government. I am here to serve you!
Dan