Dear Neighbor,
On Tuesday, the House took up the omnibus energy bill. This legislation requires a 40% renewable energy standard by 2030 for investor-owned utility companies (Xcel Energy, Minnesota Power, Otter Tail Power, Alliant) including a 4% solar mandate. Because this bill imposes mandates on utility companies to invest in more expensive and less reliable renewable technology, we all will be seeing higher prices in our energy bills. Setting arbitrary renewable energy standards simply ignores the inefficient and expensive nature of the energy sources being mandated. Renewable energy technology remains expensive and less efficient than current energy sources and should not be mandated on our state. I voted no on final passage of this bill. Hard-working Minnesotans simply can’t afford it.
As you probably read, yesterday the House took up the bill to legalize same-sex marriage. I have been open and honest about my position on marriage over the past several years. I believe marriage is between one man and one woman. I was surprised that House DFL leaders put this bill on the agenda given the fact we have had zero finalized budget bills come to the House floor. Both DFL House Speaker Thissen and DFL Majority Leader Erin Murphy had insisted time and again that legislation to redefine marriage would be set aside until after budget work was complete. With 11 days before session adjournment and no budget agreement, House Democrats decided that changing the definition of marriage was a higher priority than passing a budget. As a strong believer in the traditional definition of marriage, I voted no on this bill.
In case you missed it, the Stillwater Patch printed my column on childcare unionization. It’s unclear whether this legislation will be brought to the floor of the House as even some Democrats believe it’s wrong to unionize small-business owners. If it does come to the floor, you can count on me to be a no vote.
As always, I am interested in your feedback. Please feel free to contact me by e-mail at Rep.Kathy.Lohmer@House.MN or contact my office at 651-296-4244. You can also send mail to my office address: 239 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.
Sincerely,
Kathy