Dear Neighbors,
Here is the latest news from St. Paul.
Line 3
In late 2018, the Minnesota Department of Commerce filed an appeal to reverse the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission’s (PUC) decision to grant the certificate of need for the Enbridge Line 3 replacement pipeline. On Wednesday, the Minnesota Court of Appeals dismissed that appeal.
Governor Walz has until February 12 to decide whether or not to file for reconsideration of the certificate of need. I have strongly urged Governor Walz not to stand in the way of replacing Line 3.
The pipeline will be a safer, more efficient way of transporting oil than the trains that currently carry it through our area. Additionally, this project will bring major economic benefits to the region.
The experts at the PUC have thoroughly vetted this project over a period of 3 ½ years and have voted unanimously to grant the certificate of need. It’s time to stop throwing up unnecessary roadblocks and allow the project to proceed.
Wage Theft
On Wednesday, the Committee on Labor heard HF 6, a bill to prohibit wage theft.
No employer should knowingly or willingly steal employees’ wages. However, I have serious concerns about the heavy-handedness of this legislation. I believe employers could find themselves in a situation where they have unintentionally “stolen” wages, particularly if a business is too small to employ a team of CPAs to focus on payroll issues.
I’m willing to work with the bill authors on this issue to ensure the law targets unscrupulous employers, but we don’t need to go this far this fast. The bill author himself, Representative Tim Mahoney, has said that 99.9% of employers are good. In 2017, the Legislature gave the Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI) $1 million for wage theft prevention. Before moving forward, I would like to see how that money was used and DOLI’s information on the scope of the problem.
At the Capitol
With Corey and Jasmine Christianson, from Badger. They were here to testify on HF 436. Corey is the owner of KC's Country Market in Badger.
With J.T. Anderson, MnDOT District 2 Engineer and former great high school sprinter. We discussed Hwy 1 in Thief River Falls and Highway 75 in Hallock.
Constituents have raised concerns about these projects and the new rules on ADA specs. We met to try to address these concerns and I encouraged him to have some local meetings to listen to these concerns and try to work with the local officials and residents.
Follow me on Facebook
To stay up-to-date on what’s happening at your State Capitol, feel free to “like” my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/RepDanFabian.
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My door is always open to the needs and priorities of our area. Please feel free to let me know if I can be of assistance to you and your family. I am here to serve you!
Dan