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Legislative News and Views - Rep. John Persell (DFL)

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Legislative Update - September 10, 2019

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Dear neighbors,

I hope you had a great short week after the Labor Day weekend! Labor Day is an opportunity to honor generations of workers who fought for things that many of us benefit from today, including collective bargaining rights, workplace safety laws, dignified working conditions, and Social Security. It also reminds us that we have to keep fighting to preserve and expand those hard-won rights.

House Committee Visits Bemidji

The House Capital Investment Committee recently visited Bemidji to learn about local infrastructure projects. Last Thursday, I met with local officials and some of my colleagues from the Legislature to discuss plans to build a new water treatment plant near the airport. The new plant would have the ability to remove perfluorocarbon chemicals – also known as PFCs – from the city’s water supply.

The Bemidji Pioneer published an article about the visit. If you’d like to learn more about the proposal, the article is available here.

I also advocated for a new Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT) building in Walker and went on a tour of Bemidji State’s A.C. Clark Library. On Friday, I visited one of Bemidji’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) offices to learn about repairs and upgrades that need to be made at DNR buildings and discuss forest management. I’ll continue working with elected officials in our area and at the Legislature to try and make these plans a reality.

 

It’s an honor to work with Rep. Mary Murphy, the Chair of the House Capital Investment Committee, and Rita Albrecht, the Mayor of Bemidji.

New Laws Take Effect

Many of the new laws that my colleagues and I passed went into effect during the summer. You can read more about the laws that took effect at the beginning of July here. More information about the laws that took effect in August is available here.

If you’re interested in how the new budget and laws will impact our part of Northern Minnesota, please take a few minutes to read my 2019 legislative report. This brief summary of the work I did this year is available here.

I want to send my best wishes to the students and parents who recently started a new school year, and thank the teachers and staff who work so hard to help young Minnesotans succeed inside and outside the classroom. Have a great school year!

Sincerely,

John Persell
State Representative