Dear Neighbors,
I was pleased to join many Bemidji area residents in St. Paul yesterday for Bemidji Day at the Capitol. The hallways were full of red and black plaid, and everyone did a great job representing Bemidji in their meetings with legislators! I’m always proud of how well these folks represent Bemidji and northern Minnesota.
I spoke to Bemidji Day attendees with Representative Hancock in St. Paul yesterday.
RAILROAD SAFETY
Important rail safety legislation (HF 3698/SF3352) will face a key hearing in the House this week. DFL legislators will be joined by emergency managers, fire fighters and residents of oil train corridors to stress the importance of emergency preparedness.
The bill increases the number of state track inspectors and requires railroads to notify MnDOT when hazardous materials are being carried on rail through Minnesota communities.
We’re simply asking railroads to increase safety, transparency and accountability to local communities and the 326,000 Minnesotans who live within the blast zone of an oil train rail line. Minnesota emergency responders deserve greater transparency about the contents of these trains.
The Rail Safety legislation would:
-
Improve Emergency Preparedness and Response plans for railroads in case of oil and hazardous substance discharge.
-
Expand Rail Safety Inspections and Transparency by allowing the Commissioner of Transportation to increase the number of state rail safety inspectors from three or four to nine, and add the ability for inspectors to inspect train equipment. These inspections must be transparent and available through the MnDOT public website.
-
Provide Transparency and Prepare At-Risk Communities by demanding that rail carriers notify when hazardous materials, including oil, are traveling through Minnesota communities and providing information about emergency response plans.
TACKLING OUR STUDENT DEBT CRISIS
Several bills to address crushing student debt were heard in the Higher Education committee in the last two weeks. The average debt load of four year graduates in Minnesota is nearing $32,000 – the 5th highest debt burden in the nation. Too many Bemidji-area residents know that student debt can make it difficult to buy a home or save for the future, limiting family budgets and overall economic growth.
Here are some of our ideas this session to reduce student debt. Many of them were heard recently and will hopefully move forward this session:
-
Freezing tuition at the U of M and MnSCU to keep college costs down
-
Expand the state grant program to open access to more families
-
Reduce cost of textbooks by requiring campus bookstores to compare and match prices
-
Tax credits for student loan payments to reduce student loan debt
-
Expand/improve state’s refinancing pilot program to make repayment more affordable
-
Loan forgiveness (up to 3K annually) to those who commit to work in Greater Minnesota
Last year, despite a $2 billion surplus, the House Republican Majority voted for a budget that actually raised tuition on our student at the University of Minnesota and our four-year campuses. With a $900 million surplus this session, we really should make students a priority and finally tackle our student debt crisis.
Speaking at Veterans Day at the Capitol
I recently spoke to veterans gathered to lobby their legislators at the St. Paul National Guard Armory. I spoke about several of the challenges veterans face and some of the initiatives we are trying to accomplish this session, which you can read about here. There are photos of the event below.
I encourage you to contact me with questions and feedback on this, or any other legislative issue. You can always reach me by email at rep.john.persell@house.mn or phone at 651-296-5516.
Sincerely,
John Persell
State Representative