Legislative Update - Rep. Tom Murphy

Legislative Update

Friends and Neighbors,

This month I got to tour the site of a new roundabout in Alexandria and learn about the concrete mixing process that paves our critical roads and bridges. It truly is some incredible work they do and the amount of engineering that goes into making sure our roads are structurally sound is impressive.

Funding for Otter Tail Telecom

Recipients for last year’s Rural Broadband Grants were recently announced and I’m happy to see that funding for Otter Tail Telcom has been included. Reliable internet has quickly become crucial to modern life so it is great to see more of our community receiving access to this resource.

New Laws July 1st

Several new laws take effect on Saturday along with the biennial budget. One of these changes that is going to hurt many Minnesotan’s pocketbooks is an increase in the motor vehicle sales tax. This means new and used vehicles will cost even more after we’ve already seen prices drastically increase over the past few years. Unfortunately, 40% of this money isn’t even going to the infrastructure for these vehicles to drive on. Instead being diverted to transit such as the light rail projects that have gone massively over budget and missed multiple deadlines.

This weekend leads up to Independence Day on Tuesday the 4th. It is a day to reflect on the sacrifices made by the brave men and women who fought for the freedoms we enjoy today. From the Founding Fathers who drafted the Declaration of Independence to the soldiers who continue to defend our country today, we owe a debt of gratitude to those who have made America the land of the free and the home of the brave. I hope you will enjoy some time with your family and celebrate our great nation!

Have a great weekend and as always feel free to reach out with any legislative concerns.

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