Here are some jottings from the Capitol as fall begins, the November election inches closer and the 2015 legislative session is just over three months from starting.
There is now a hole in the ground where construction of a $90 million Senate office complex progresses in St. Paul, even a citizens continue to overwhelmingly oppose it. A SurveyUSA poll conducted in August shows a 66-percent majority disapproves (including 70 percent of women surveyed) of the project. Only 21 percent of respondents support it and 13 percent are not sure.
Other more cost-effective alternatives were available. I continue to feel this is a huge price to pay for what really is a short-term inconvenience as Senators are displaced during restoration of the Capitol. This does nothing to solve any immediate disruptions because work on the Capitol will be nearly complete by the time the Senate facility is finished. Senators need to find temporary housing anyway, so why are we building this new complex? Citizens say we have higher priorities to address and should not be wasting money on a new Senate complex. I agree and voted against the 2013 Tax Bill, which Democrats used to get this project started.
In other news, a great opportunity is available for high school juniors to gain hands-on experience in state government and I encourage local students to look into it. The Minnesota House of Representatives offers a unique program where juniors can serve as a page at the Capitol in St. Paul. High school pages attend meetings with legislators, assist members during floor sessions and participate in mock committee sessions. Eleven four-day sessions are planned for the 2015 session, and they will run from Feb. 9 until early May.
Program participants are selected in the fall of each year based on a formal process that includes an application (due Nov. 21), faculty recommendation, and an essay. Stipends are available to defray expenses. Additional information is available at
www.house.mn (click the “High School Page Program” link near the bottom of the site) or by calling
651-296-7175. Local schools can also provide assistance.
On the health insurance front, we are still waiting to see what impacts will come from MNsure’s largest commercial provider – PreferredOne – pulling out of the program. Nearly 60 percent of Minnesotans who purchased plans through MNsure selected PreferredOne as their provider. Those citizens now will undoubtedly face higher premiums as we enrollment starts Nov. 15. New premium pricing is scheduled to be available in early October and we can only hope prices do not rise too much.
MNsure has serious sustainability issues and Democrats who built it cannot continue to ignore that fact. It is time for them to finally acknowledge MNsure’s widespread failings and start implementing improvements Republicans have offered. I will keep you posted.