Dear Neighbors,
Thank you to those who have taken time to visit, call, or write to me so far this session. It is great to meet and talk with so many of you. For those of you who I have not had a chance to speak with, I encourage you to let me know your thoughts on any issue related to state government, it would be an honor to speak with you.
On Tuesday, the House approved a bill that would allow lawmakers and state agencies to officially begin preparing to bring Minnesota IDs into compliance with REAL ID standards.
In January, the Department of Homeland Security informed lawmakers that Minnesota has until 2018 to develop REAL ID-compliant licenses in order for residents to board an airplane.
With this in mind, addressing REAL ID was among my top priorities this session. I am glad that Republicans and Democrats were able to come together to address this important issue and begin the process of bringing Minnesota into federal compliance.
As your representative, I am committed to ensuring that your private data is protected while we work to ensure that Minnesotans will be able to board an airplane without issue.
In other news, my Rice County veterans’ memorial bill received its second hearing this week in the Job Growth Committee on Wednesday.
This bill appropriates $60,000 to finish the Rice County’s veterans’ memorial and I am excited about the prospect of it becoming law.
Additionally, the House passed legislation last week that extends unemployment for steelworkers who have been out of work on the Iron Range. Nearly 2,100 workers are out of work due to mining operation closures.
Along with this extension, the House passed a separate bill that corrects the state’s over funded unemployment insurance trust fund. This corrective measure will save small and local businesses millions of dollars statewide, giving them the opportunity to reinvest in their employees, communities, and things like new equipment.
If you've been having issues with MNsure, I encourage you to share them with lawmakers.
This week, House Republicans in the State Government Finance Committee launched a website to gather comments and feedback from Minnesota families, taxpayers and small business owners affected by MNsure.
The new website can be found here and is also linked on the House State Government Finance Committee page.
That’s all for this week’s update. Please be sure to let me know if I can be of any assistance to you or your family. I can be reached by phone at 651-296-8237 or via email at rep.brian.daniels@house.mn.
Have a great weekend,
Brian