Dear neighbor,
Last week, the House took up the conference committee version of the government health exchange legislation. As you know, I voted against passage of the initial government exchange bill when it came to the floor a couple weeks ago. This version of the bill that came back to us was actually worse than what the House had passed originally. The most significant difference was the lack of the provision that prohibited funding for abortion coverage under the government exchange. Because this proposal did not address my concerns about higher costs, fewer choices for healthcare consumers, and inadequate safeguards for data privacy – in addition to the fact that it allows abortion coverage – I voted no on final passage of the bill. However, the proposal passed the House with support only from DFL legislators.
Yesterday, I was proud to participate in a press conference with Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, fellow legislators, local officials, and business leaders in support of expanding I-94. This is a high priority for me here at the legislature and I’ve been busy working on it. One of the bills I’m co-authoring, House File 1292, calls for the Minnesota Department of Transportation to prioritize the expansion of I-94 from four lanes to six lanes between Rogers and St. Michael in the next four years so that further expansion to Albertville and Monticello can take place in future years. The bill was heard before the House Transportation Policy Committee and laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus transportation bill. This project is essential for commuters, businesses, shipping, and tourism throughout the northwest metro and central Minnesota. I want to thank St. Michael City Administrator Steve Bot, St. Michael City Councilman Joe Marx, and Wright County Commissioner Michael Potter for testifying in favor of the bill before the committee. I’m also a co-author on House File 1310 with Representative Zach Dorholt of St. Cloud that focuses on financing the expansion of I-94. I’m hopeful the bill will get a hearing in the House Transportation Finance Committee soon.
If you have a moment, I encourage you to watch the KSTP story on our efforts with I-94 expansion and show your support by voting in the online poll here.
Thank you to the local members of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce who stopped by last Wednesday. It was great to see Senell Jaster, David Carlson, Chris Kauffman and other members.
Also, I enjoyed visiting with Butch Lindenfelser of the Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association in my St. Paul office. We discussed some of the energy-related legislation at the Capitol and how it would affect our community.
I had the privilege of touring the Thorpe Distribution Center in Rogers last Friday. Thorpe Distribution employs many people in our district. I appreciate President Jack Reis for taking the time to show me the facility and for his perspective on how tax and transportation policy affect his business.
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