Dear Neighbors,
You may have seen the recent article from the Grand Forks Herald that featured Hallock and Thief River Falls, and how they’ve been affected by the delay of the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline project. I'm very disappointed in Governor Walz for delaying this project, especially because of how it's hurting our local communities. Gov. Walz has talked many times about Kittson County and the city of Hallock, but those very communities are the ones that suffer with every new delay of these local jobs and property tax revenue. Every year this project gets delayed is many more millions of dollars in lost tax revenue to schools, townships, and counties.
On Monday, several House Republicans held a press conference calling for additional funding for the Minnesota Disaster Contingency Account. The account is currently empty, ahead of what is expected to be major flooding this spring. I am a co-author of HF 2317, a bill that would appropriate a total of $40 million in 2019 and 2020, so that we are prepared for the flooding emergencies that will affect our communities in the coming months.
On Wednesday, the nonpartisan Office of the Legislative Auditor released a report investigating fraud in the CCAP program. The investigation found widespread fraud in the program and a lack of internal controls at the Department of Human Services, making prosecuting fraud difficult. House Republicans have introduced several bills that would address the concerns of the Legislative Auditor, but the DFL majority has yet to hear the bills.
This week, HF 1956 (Gov. Walz’s Clean Energy First Act) was heard in the Energy and Climate Finance and Policy Division. This bill is a mandate that by 2050, 100 percent of the state’s electricity must be produced from “clean” sources, and specifically excludes nuclear power generation that currently exists in Minnesota. This mandate will drive up costs for electricity and will threaten the reliability of our energy grid, especially during extreme weather, like polar vortexes. If you have doubts about the impact of this government mandate, contact your local Rural Electric Coop or your municipal electric provider.
Also this week, the Senate passed their bill to extend the reinsurance program for three more years, but House Democrats voted against bringing the bill up for a vote on the House floor. This program has been extremely successful in lowering health insurance premiums on the individual market. If we let this program end, rates will skyrocket and those in the individual market will suffer further. During the floor debate on Monday, it was noted that the fiscal impact as reported by MMB would lead to a 54% increase in premiums in the private insurance market if reinsurance is not passed.
I had some great visits with constituents this week - here are some photos!
Dave Zavoral
Kristin Eggerling, Mara Hanel, and Kathryn Gonzalez here for Arts Day at the Capitol
Gavin Davy from Badger, received a Head Start Heroes award this week for achieving his goal of attending college - he'll be attending the U of M - Crookston and pursuing a degree in software engineering!
I was honored to speak to a group of students visiting the Capitol with Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life yesterday
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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