Above, Speaker Kurt Daudt and I welcome Allie Shimkus and others to the House chamber to honor Allie for receiving state Boys & Girls Club honors.
Dear Neighbor,
Congratulations to Bemidji’s own Allie Shimkus for being named Minnesota’s Boys & Girls Club Youth of the Year Tuesday in St. Paul. The Boys & Girls Club recognized Allie, a BHS junior, for her service to the Club, commitment to community and family, academic success, moral character, life goals and public speaking.
Allie is a member of the Bemidji chapter of the club and, for the state competition, she created a portfolio composed of a speech, three essays, three letters of recommendations and other supporting documents. Her efforts earned her a $15,000 scholarship. House Speaker Kurt Daudt and I brought Allie to the House chamber’s rostrum for pictures.
Talk about an impressive individual who, at such a young age, already is making a difference in our community. I was proud to highlight Allie’s accomplishment on the House floor this week, offering my congratulations on behalf of the Minnesota House of Representatives. The sky’s the limit for you, Allie!
As for official business, bill hearings have again been the order of the week in the House. I received successful hearings for a number of bills in recent days, including:
- HF 3623 regarding commissions for lottery retailers
- HF 3018 to form a task force on charitable gambling to see if modifications could help more money reach its intended target
- HF would mitigate Minnesota taxpayers’ exposure to legal fees during future state-based lawsuits by capping them at 2 percent of an award, or $100,000, whichever is higher.
I will soon circle back with a closer look at these bills and others I have authored, along with a general overview of the session as we hit the unofficial midway point and prepare for the home stretch. The Legislature will be off next week in observance of the Easter/Passover holiday and I plan to spend extra time meeting with people in District 5A. Among the meetings on my schedule is a visit to Bemidji State University to talk about a variety of higher education issues. I may follow up on that as well.
Please be safe if you are traveling this holiday weekend and, as always, your input is welcome.
Sincerely,
Matt