Dear Neighbor,
The responses from an online survey I conducted indicate local citizens believe the economy is improving and want the focus to be on taxpayer protection and efficient governance with constitutional values.
A full 76 percent say they do not support raising taxes to balance the budget. This is in stark contrast to the House and Senate majorities, which have both passed tax increases in the billions this session.
The widest spread among survey participants pertains to a proposal requiring private day care providers and personal care attendants to join a union. An overwhelming 92-percent majority opposes this initiative. A significant number of respondents also left comments about this issue at the end of the survey.
Click here for the complete results. I appreciate that hundreds of people took the time to participate and provide me with input as we prepare to receive final bills on these topics over the remaining few weeks of the session.
KARE 11 SEGMENT
I appeared on the KARE 11 news recently to discuss a serious issue in Minnesota homes: radon. This colorless, odorless, gas emitted by the earth is reportedly the second-leading cause of lung cancer. I authored a bill designed to help homeowners know if excessive levels of radon are present. It is called Janet’s Law, named for a woman from Glenwood whose life was taken by radon exposure.
My bill has not reached the House floor, but it brought attention to the issue and another version passed this week. Click here for the KARE 11 segment with more about this issue – and a nice tribute to Janet.
UPDATE FROM THE FLOOR
Most of our time in the House currently is being spent examining policy-related bills. The finance bills which will comprise our budget for the next two years are now in the conference-committee process as members of the House and Senate work to resolve differences between our respective versions of those bills. Once that work is complete, the bills will return to the House and Senate for a vote on final passage and, if approved, they will be sent to the governor for his action.
One of the policy bills we plan to take up today is one that would raise the minimum wage in Minnesota from $6.15 per hour to $9.50 per hour. Most Minnesota employees currently earn at least the $7.25 federal minimum. Other provisions would mandate overtime after 40 hours and raise the bar on unpaid family leave from six weeks to 12 weeks. Other bills pertaining to same-sex marriage and day care unionization could reach the House floor as soon as next week.
We did receive word from the House Speaker this week that bills proposing new gun restrictions would not come up for a vote. I will let you know what transpires and, as always, keep those emails coming with your thoughts on these or any other issues.
Sincerely,
Paul