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Legislative News and Views - Rep. Rob Ecklund (DFL)

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Legislative Update - March 5, 2019

Tuesday, March 5, 2019
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Greetings Northlanders,

Constituents continue to make the trek down to the State Capitol and I’m grateful for them taking time to visit with me. Last week, leadership from the Arrowhead Library System visited. Libraries are critical pillars for education, economic opportunity, and community building.

I also got to meet with students from the College of St. Scholastica to discuss how important the State Grant Program is to their ability to obtain a degree without unsustainable debt.

Our Community Health Centers do great work improving health outcomes and ensuring everyone can have access to the care they need. I got to meet with Mike Holmes from Scenic Rivers Health and Rita Plord and Sue Nordman from Sawtooth Mountain Clinic.

Wednesday night, the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe held their annual dinner in Saint Paul. This is always an excellent opportunity to hear about tribal priorities and discuss how we can partner together to improve the way of life for Native people. Here I am with Bois Forte Tribal Chair Cathy Chavers and Grant Portage Interim Tribal Chair Marie Spry.

MNLARS

The House has approved HF 861, a bill to continue efforts to improve MNLARS, the state’s new license and registration system which has had a host of problems since it was launched in 2017. I continue to hear from folks frustrated with the amount of time it has taken to transfer a title or get new plates or tabs. When a fundamental function of government like this doesn’t work, Minnesotans deserve accountability and action to fix it. The bill, which passed with bipartisan support, will keep IT experts onboard to make fixes and improve customer service support. There’s more to do, including reimbursing local deputy registrars who have dealt with some unreasonable expenses due to these difficulties. Last night, the Senate passed the legislation and today Governor Walz has signed the bill into law.

Budget Forecast

Last week the February Economic Forecast was announced, showing a positive budget balance of just over $1 billion, down from the nearly $1.5 billion projected in November. This highlights the need to exercise caution moving forward as there are warning signs the economy is continuing to slow. It also shows the importance of focusing on the future by taking steps to ensure we have plenty of good paying jobs, investing in education, and ensuring health care is both affordable and accessible. House committees will be considering budget proposals in the coming weeks. I’m committed to working alongside my colleagues to ensure we deliver positive outcomes for Minnesotans this session.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Task Force

Legislation to create a state task force to address the endemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women in Minnesota has received approval from all relevant House committees and is ready for consideration on the House Floor soon. Tragically, women from tribes across the state are kidnapped, trafficked and sexually assaulted, and their families deserve answers and solutions. Currently there is no state or national system in place to collect data on missing and murdered Native women.

The task force created by this proposal will provide analysis regarding the systemic causes behind this number. The goal of the task force will be to better understand the causes of violence against Indigenous women and to reduce and prevent violence where it is happening. The task force will include members of the Indigenous community, law enforcement, policymakers and the public. This effort is overdue and I enthusiastically support the legislation.

Please continue to contact me with your viewpoints and ideas, or if I can ever be of assistance. It’s an honor to represent you.

Sincerely,

Rob Ecklund

State Representative


Rep. Rob Ecklund
409 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155

www.house.mn/03A
 
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Chair, House Veterans and Military Affairs Policy and Finance Division

Phone: 651-296-2190
E-mail: rep.rob.ecklund@house.mn
Legislative Assistant: Josh Kilgard, 651-296-3918