Capitol Update from Rep. Dan Fabian

Dear Neighbors,

Here is the latest news from the Capitol!

Yesterday, we passed a bill allocating $10 million to the disaster relief account to be available to communities responding to and cleaning up after the expected floods across the state. I voted for an amendment to increase that amount to $43 million over the next two fiscal years, but unfortunately that amendment was defeated. I strongly believe we will need significantly more money in that disaster relief account to deal with the upcoming flood season in order to avoid a costly special session if the money runs out.

This week, House Republicans introduced a comprehensive bill to crack down on fraud in public programs following the Legislative Auditor’s report that found widespread and pervasive fraud in the Childcare Assistance Program (CCAP). I am a coauthor on this bill, and I hope it will receive a hearing very soon. It is time to hold fraudsters accountable for their crimes and make sure taxpayer dollars are going where they were meant to go.

This week, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) voted unanimously, yet again, to advance the Line 3 replacement project. Here is a link to Commissioner Katie Sieben’s comments before the vote. Earlier this week, the Senate passed a bill to stop the Department of Commerce from spending even more money to keep trying to stop Line 3, and yesterday I made a motion on the House floor to bring that bill up for debate in the House. Unfortunately, the Democrats made a motion to end debate before it even started, and passed it on a party-line vote. At the beginning of session, the Democrats talked extensively about having open and honest debate and not “muting” members’ voices, but this motion is the new majority’s “mute button”. They refused to allow a simple up or down vote on a bill that is incredibly important for our Greater Minnesota communities. A lot of Democrats in the House have expressed support for the Line 3 replacement project, but their actions prove otherwise.

We expect that next week, Democrats will begin rolling out their omnibus bills for each of their finance committees. Those omnibus bills will need to be heard in their committees and passed to the House floor by the third deadline, April 12.

Thank you to Russ and Mary Anderson from Greenbush for inviting me to watch the MN FIRST robotics competition! It was exciting to see high school students engaged in all aspects of the competition. They're earning a lot about mechanics, assembly, planning, teamwork, and more, all while having fun.

I'd also like to thank all of the local businesses that lent their support to the robotics teams, including employee time, equipment, and advice. This competition wouldn't be possible without that support. I'm glad to see this sort of competition creating an incubator for tomorrow's workforce!

I had several visits this last week with constituents - we had a great group from the Cooperative Network and a group of Northwest Minnesota school superintendents!

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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