Dear Neighbor,
A new state economic forecast and pay raises for members of the governor's cabinet made headlines this week.
But, before we get to those items I would like to remind people about the town hall meetings I will co-host with Sen. Kevin Dahle next week, Saturday March 7. I hope you can join us to discuss a range of issues the Legislature is taking on this session. Feedback from constituents is highly appreciated and I look forward to these meetings. Here is the schedule in case you missed it in a previous email:
March 7 town hall meetings
9-10 a.m.: Le Sueur Library (118 Ferry St., LeSueur)
10:30-11:10 a.m.: Home Plate Café (11 E. Derrynane St., Le Center)
12:30-1:30 p.m.: Belle Plaine Library (125 W. Main St., Belle Plaine)
2-3 p.m.: New Prague Library (400 Main St. E.)
3:30-4:30 p.m.: Firehouse Grill (7875 Old Town Rd., Elko-New Market)
One thing we can discuss is the report state officials issued this week regarding our state's budget outlook. The new forecast calls for a $1.9 billion surplus. This information provides the House with a set of parameters in setting a new two-year budget plan. The outline should be in place in March.
As for other work at the Capitol, the House recently passed a bill which returns to the Legislature the power in setting salaries for members of the governor's cabinet. The law was changed in 2013 providing the governor with authority to set those salaries and things came to a head when he recently approved raises of $25,000 to $35,000 (and in one case more than $80,000) for commissioners already making six figures.
Commissioners should receive fair pay, but it is good we voted to put control back in the Legislature to ensure greater accountability. There are areas we can appropriate state surplus funds that come as a higher priority than enriching cabinet members.
As always, your input is welcome on these and other subjects. Please tell friends and neighbors they can sign up to receive my email updates by clicking here – and feel free to invite them to the March 7 town hall meetings. Hope to see you there.
Sincerely,
Bob