Here I am pictured with the other four members of the House who joined me in escorting Governor Dayton to the House Chambers.
Dear Neighbors,
You still have time to take my 2015 legislative survey, although this is the last week to do so. Thank you to the nearly 500 individuals who took the time to respond to this year’s survey. Your input helps guide my decision-making here in St. Paul.
If you have not yet had the opportunity to complete my survey, you can do so by clicking on this link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZJR5K6V
Once we have finished compiling data from all the respondents, we will share the results with you!
If you ever have issues viewing the photos that are included in these updates, you can click here and read the weekly update (pictures included) on my House member page.
Governor’s State of the State Speech
Governor Dayton delivered his State of the State speech late last week. I was honored to be chosen as one of only a handful of members to escort the Governor to the event.
With only six weeks to go until adjournment, the Governor’s speech did not include any new legislative proposals. Instead, he used this time to reiterate his support of certain proposals that he has already been promoting around the state.
In his speech, the Governor continued to push for his 50-foot buffer strip proposal. I’ve spoken at length about this issue with local farmers and organizations as well as in past weekly email updates. My stance continues to be the same – the Governor’s “one size fits all” approach is simply unworkable.
Farmers, my colleagues in the Legislature, and myself all want to ensure that Minnesota is able to maintain its high standard of water quality, but we need to do so in a way that respects the property rights of our farmers.
The Governor also continued to tout his transportation proposal which relies on funding from $9 billion in new taxes and fees. His plan inevitably will lead to a minimum increase of 16 cents/gallon for Minnesota drivers.
In contrast, our plan invests $7 billion over the next decade to fix Minnesota’s roads and bridges without raising taxes by repurposing already existing revenue streams and dedicating them towards transportation spending. Additionally, a provision in our plan allots $282 million to cities with populations of less than 5,000. In our district, 37 towns will receive a total of just under $1 million for transportation repair in their communities.
Constituent Visits
Thank you to Brian Giese for stopping by my office in St. Paul this week to discuss a variety of topics including transportation funding.
On Wednesday I visited with several Teachers from the district about education issues. Thank you to Rick Bleiechnen, Brett Frafford-Olson, Kari Kreft, Natalie Schoenbauer, Alyssa Rosenow, Peter Pe and Rhonda Issendorf for taking the time to come to St Paul.
Staying in Touch
Much of our work next week will be taking place on the floor as we will begin to debate and pass omnibus finance bills. I have been working hard with members to advocate for increased funding for schools in our district and am hopeful that some of my bills will be included in a few of the omnibus bills. I will make sure to keep you updated as things progress.
If you are planning on being in St. Paul this session, please feel free to contact my office by phone at 651-296-4929 or via email at rep.jeff.backer@house.mn to set up an appointment. I would love to meet with you and talk about ways we can make Minnesota better. Again, it is an honor and privilege to represent you and your family for the next two years. I am here to be YOUR voice in St. Paul and it is a responsibility that I take very seriously.
Thanks and talk to you soon,
Jeff