Dear Neighbor,
The 2019 legislative session is up and running after the 91st Legislature was sworn in at the Capitol on Tuesday. The oath of office is a humbling, special experience and I am grateful the citizens of District 9B have once again entrusted me to work for them in the House.
I was re-elected in November to continue representing District 9B, which encompasses nearly all of Morrison County and a portion of Todd. My legislative responsibilities this session include serving as the lead Republican on the House Education Finance Division and also as a member of the Ways and Means Committee.
The past handful of months have mainly been spent discussing issues with the people back home in our district. The feedback I received from the people back home is appreciated and will be helpful in my efforts to take on the challenges we face in Greater Minnesota.
During my first three terms, I have been a vocal proponent of broadband expansion in Greater Minnesota, as well as increased funding for nursing homes and long-term care facilities for seniors and the disabled. I also have been a leading advocate for child protection.
Those and other issues await us this session. We will get into those more in future emails, including, I am sure, a closer look at proposals from the Democrats to raise the gas tax. KNSI radio already asked me to come on the air to discuss that topic and the point I made is we shouldn’t even be talking about raising taxes. The state already is running a $1.5 billion surplus in tax collections. We also made a historic investment in roads and bridges during the last biennium without raising taxes by a single penny, so we showed it can be done. Click here for the full interview on KNSI.
With much of this week being spent getting settled in at the Capitol, committee work will pick up next week and bill hearings will begin in earnest.
Look for more news soon and, until next time, have a good weekend.
Sincerely,
Ron