Greetings from the Capitol!
Here is some information regarding an upcoming town hall meeting event, along with some of the latest from St. Paul.
TOWN HALL MEETING FEB. 23
I invite local citizens to attend a town hall meeting I will co-host with Sen. Roger Chamberlain on Saturday, Feb. 23. We plan to discuss the state budget, health care issues and other legislative topics meeting attendees wish to address.
Here are the meeting details:
When: Saturday, February 23, 2012
10 a.m. - Noon
Where: Hugo City Hall
Council Chambers
14669 Fitzgerald Ave N
Hugo, MN 55038
The forum is open to residents of Hugo, Centerville, Lino Lakes, and the surrounding area. New legislative borders are now in place after a statewide redistricting process to accommodate for population changes. I now represent District 38A. If you are unsure who represents you, click here for that information: http://www.gis.leg.mn/OpenLayers/districts/.
If I no longer am your state representative, and you wish to opt out of receiving my email updates, there is a “click to unsubscribe” function at the top of this email.
Call my legislative office at (651) 296-2907 for any additional information regarding the town hall meeting.
MEETING WITH LOCAL RESIDENTS
A number of District 38A citizens met with me last week at my legislative office to discuss issues important to them. One group of constituents visited me on Hospitality Day. I also met with local representatives from Anoka/Washington County Head Start, the Minnesota School Counselors Association (Centennial School District) and the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Thank you to all the people who took the time to share their perspectives!
PUBLIC EMERGENCY BILLS
I have introduced three House bills to help local fire departments, including the Centennial Fire District. Sen. Roger Chamberlain is authoring the Senate versions. The common thread is the bills help improve how ambulance providers and our local emergency services work together. The legislation would give local governments more control in order to improve response times and information reporting and allow the Fire District to recoup costs of the public safety system (fire, police 9-1-1 system, etc.) so important to the community. Fire Chief Jerry Streich, our own chief, has brought tremendous leadership on this issue.
THIS WEEK’S AGENDA
One of the top items I will be addressing this week is a bill to form a health care exchange in Minnesota. We will be hearing the bill in the Tax Committee, on which I serve. I outlined my concern for this proposal in a Feb. 8 email update. Click here http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/members/pressrelease.asp?pressid=6213&party=2&memid=10575 if you missed it.
I will keep you updated as these and other issues develop.
Sincerely,
Linda Runbeck