Dear neighbor,
Last week, Governor Dayton gave his State of the State address before a joint session of the legislature and I was proud to bring my son to the House chamber for the event. The governor started his speech by highlighting many of the good things which have transpired over the last two years, but was light on new and innovative ideas for the future. Instead, he offered a series of income and sales tax increases that will hit our businesses and middle class families hard. At a time when family budgets are tight and businesses are being tempted to move out of state, we should not be making the tax burden heavier for Minnesotans.
On Thursday, I met with some members of the I-94 West Corridor Coalition and together we met with many other legislators to make our case for I-94 improvements. The I-94 West Corridor Coalition is made up of local governments, local Chambers of Commerce groups, and other stakeholders who are pushing for an expansion of I-94 through St. Michael, Albertville, and Otsego to six lanes. I appreciated getting the input from St. Michael City Council members Chris Schumm and Nadine Schoen as well as St. Michael City Administrator Steve Bot on this issue. As a member of the Transportation Policy Committee, expanding I-94 will be my top committee priority.
You may have heard about the three days of gun control hearings that the House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee held last week. As a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, I was impressed to see so many Minnesotans from across the state come to the Capitol to show their support for second amendment rights. I want to thank everyone who stopped by, called, and emailed me to voice their support for the Second Amendment. Rest assured I do not believe that further restrictions on the Second Amendment rights of law abiding citizens is the answer.
On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to speak to the St. Michael-Albertville Rotary Club. I enjoyed updating members on what’s been happening at the Capitol as well as listening to comments and concerns of the members. If you have any community group you would like me to speak to or event you would like me to attend please let me know.
As your voice in St. Paul, I am interested in your feedback. Please feel free to contact me by e-mail at Rep.David.Fitzsimmons@House.MN or contact my office at 651-296-1534. You can also send me mail to my office address: 227 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155. Please feel free to share this e-mail with your family, friends, and neighbors so they can sign up and stay in touch.
Sincerely,
David