Hello Friends!
This week marked the first deadline to have our bills heard in policy committees. Simply put, if your bills are to have a chance of becoming law through the normal legislative process, then they need to be heard by midnight, today, March 20th.
I am very pleased to report to you that most of my bills have made this deadline. There has been an absolute flurry of activity here in St. Paul as legislators and committee chairs push to get bills heard. Some committees have been meeting for hours during the day, then they meet again in the evenings until the late hours of the night.
Some bills that miss the deadline may still get passed this year, if they are added in later as amendments on the house floor or receive approval from the Rules Committee.
Next week, our bills need to be heard in finance committees to meet the second deadline.
There are three items I would like to share with you about this week.
ALL DAY PRE-K:
The governor wants to send all of our Pre-kindergarten kids to school. This means that children as young as 4 years old could be enrolled in government education programs. The cost to do this is in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Many folks from the district have asked me how I feel about this. Simply put. I do not support a statewide program to enforce the new all day Pre-K movement. I have been, and always will be, a strong believer in local control. This decision must be made in each community. Parents, teachers and elected school board members need to make this decision.
I also believe that parents should always have the right to "opt their kids out" if they so choose.
Over the course of the last month I have heard from:
-
School officials who do not want this. They do not have the resources to handle all of these little kids, who are barely beyond their toddler years.
-
Parents who are very concerned and do not want this. They are worried about losing their rights as parents.
-
Dozens of childcare providers. All of them have resoundingly stated that they do not support all day Pre-K, as it would eliminate a large percent of their business.
-
Taxpayers, who believe we have more urgent needs such as roads and bridges.
Again, I cannot support the Governor's push to take our little 4 year-old kids away from their parents and stick them in a government programs.
LAND BUFFERS:
The Governor wants to create land buffers in our state. Simply put, he wants the first 50 feet of land between any shore line, river, lake or stream, to be designated as a buffer zone in order to act as a filter to protect the quality of our waters.
We had a hearing on the house version of the bill in committee and it is being held in committee for further review. It may end up in the omnibus policy bill. We will know more in April or early May.
I have been getting many calls and emails about this issue. Most of the contacts DO NOT favor a statewide rule of a 50 foot buffer strip.
However, there have been many who DO favor this.
Here is how people from our district are weighing in on this issue:
Farmers and folks in the Agriculture industry do not like this. It will consume large portions of their lands and could be harmful to their livelihoods.
Lake and river property owners are mixed. Some want it, some don't. It is almost 50/50. Some like the way the buffer may protect the waters. Others don't like it because they feel it intrudes on their private property rights.
Most Sportsman and Environmental folks want this. I am getting emails and calls from them saying they want to protect wildlife.
The bill is not complete at this time and should be subject amendments.
I am waiting to see the final bill before I decide exactly HOW I will vote on this.
I do not have a stake in this issue. I am not in the Ag industry, I do not own lake or river shore property. I do not hunt waterfowl.
Again, I will continue to monitor this issue and consider the input from the district. I will vote on the final version when it comes out.
I would like to see a hybrid of this bill that would find some kind of a balance to this issue. One that would help to protect our waters and respect the rights of property owners and farmers. I do not support a mandated statewide 50 foot buffer. A one-size fits all approach is not the best way to address this issue.
I really appreciate all of the input I have received on this issue and welcome any and all comments on this. Please contact me if you haven't yet and would like to share your opinion. Email me at rep.jim.newberger@house.mn or call my office 651-296-2451.
Power Plants:
We expect to be very active on energy issues this session. I have personally authored 12 bills that address our energy issues. Two of my bills, HF# 639 has already passed and is waiting to go to the house floor. HF #333 has one last stop before it also goes to the house floor.
HF #639 stops MN from being wrapped up in a giant legal mess over importing power from North Dakota.
HF #333 requires that the legislature approve any MPCA plan that has been mandated by the EPA.
My other energy bills are all focused on reigning the massive expansion of government over-reach and would help to restore a true "All of the above" energy policy. A policy that would protect our current power plants as well as explore new options for supplemental power systems.
Thank you so much for giving me the honor to serve our district.
God's peace,
Jim
Jim Newberger
State Representative
District 15B
311 State Office Building
(651) 296-2451
rep.jim.newberger@house.mn