Dear Neighbor,
It has been good to spend more time in the district since the session ended. The local schedule of events is packed, providing great opportunities to hear from people.
I attended a United Way event earlier this week in St. Cloud and, among other things, we went through some productive exercises regarding household economics. It really put things into perspective by breaking down how fast the money goes when providing for a family.
This Saturday I will be at parades in Eden Valley and Rockville, so feel free to tap me on the shoulder and let me know what is on your mind. I’m still hearing from a lot of people who are disappointed with Minnesota’s version of Obamacare – MNsure. It appears sign-up problems persist and the price of premiums is still an issue for many.
I also continue hearing from citizens who are concerned with water & irrigation issues pertaining to the DNR. Over-regulation has left local residents literally high and dry and I continue working to address this problem. Common sense should prevail and that is what I’m looking to achieve.
As for other news from St. Paul, we recently learned state revenue has fallen below projections for four consecutive months. This comes after two straight years of revenue surpassing forecast numbers, leading to a $1.2 billion surplus. We are now $95 million behind, even after the current majority raised taxes and fees by more than $2 billion in 2013. It will be interesting to see what the next full economic forecast says in November.
A number of new laws will hit the books July 1. Most of them pertain to the budget, especially with a $263 million bump that passed this year. Click here for a full rundown. Another round of laws will kick in Aug. 1.
On another note, I recently received word from the Commerce Dept. reminding real estate professionals and collection agencies to renew their licenses and bullion coin dealers need to register by 4:30 p.m. June 30. This link has more information for real estate agents and click here for more about bullion coin registration.
Good luck,
Jeff