Dear Neighbor,
Hope you are keeping warm this week and are avoiding problems this seriously cold weather can cause. A pipe froze in our house this week, but we appear to have avoided any water damage. Anyway, be safe and please be sure from time to time to check on any friends and family that may be especially vulnerable during these cold temps.
As for the latest in St. Paul, this week I submitted a column to area newspapers to discuss the subject of distracted driving. Bills on this subject have been introduced in both chambers, and the House version received bipartisan support in the Transportation Committee during its first hearing last week.
I do think something needs to be done to address the problem of inattentive driving. It’s scary going down the freeway and being passed by someone doing 80 mph and having a cell phone up to their ear. Texting or actually calling a number while driving is worse yet. The act of texting is already against the law, but it’s difficult to prove someone was actually doing it. I’ve even heard that the law makes texting more dangerous, as some drivers now try to hide the phone down on their lap instead of holding it up on the steering wheel in an effort to avoid detection.
Check local newspapers for the full column, or click here to see it posted on my legislative site.
Another subject that has been in the news is suspected fraud in Minnesota’s Childcare Assistance Program, including upwards of $100 million in taxpayer funds being allocated to fraudulent childcare facilities and possibly even being diverted to terrorist groups overseas.
This issue has been on the radar for some time now, yet four data practices requests submitted to the Department of Human Resources over the last eight months were ignored by the previous governor’s administration. Another data request has been filed to new DHS Commissioner Tony Lourey in the hopes that a new administration will be more cooperative in helping us learn the scope of this issue.
Fraud in this system is unacceptable on its own, but the possibility of these tax dollars landing in the hands of terrorists is especially concerning. I look forward to seeing how the new administration responds to this data practices request. It also will be interesting to see what the nonpartisan Office of the Legislative Auditor reveals when it issues a report of its investigation on this matter, which we expect to happen sometime next month.
Until next time, have a good weekend and let’s hope the forecast for some warmer weather in coming days plays out as predicted.
Sincerely,
Paul