Dear Neighbors,
This week, we’ve spent much of our time on the House floor discussing our various budget proposals. We passed our last budget bill today, and now we start the process of reconciling the differences between our bills and the Senate versions.
Public Safety
One of these bills we passed this week relates to public safety. Language from my bill, HF1475, made up part of the larger public safety legislation. My bill creates a felony offense for individuals who provide support for an act of terrorism. When putting together this omnibus bill, our main goal is keeping Minnesotans safe. The language included from my bill is a way to create harsher punishments for those aiding terrorists in our state, and will hopefully deter individuals from providing support for terrorism. I recorded a video about this provision, and you can view it here.
As many in our area know, we’re just two years removed from a train accident in St. Paul Park. An oil train ran into a semi-truck, and, while I’m grateful no one was hurt, the incident demonstrated how important rail safety is, especially in our community. Through working with Governor Dayton, the railroads, and other stakeholders, we were able to get this rail-grade crossing closed and redesigned.
This is such an important issue for our residents, which is why I was pleased to see an amendment added to our public safety bill to allocate $600,000 per year from the Railroad and Pipeline Safety Account to MnDOT for railroad crossing safety improvements. This was a DFL amendment, but I spoke in the House floor in its favor, and will continue to advocate for rail safety as this bill continues its way through the process.
Helping Veterans
It’s been an honor to serve on the Veterans Affairs Division this session. Our men and women in uniform are our heroes, and I’m honored to craft legislation on their behalf. One of my bills, HF2541, was included in the state government budget bill. This legislation helps veterans by expanding the Minnesota GI Bill to include “apprenticeship and on-the-job training benefits, and other professional and educational benefits.” Not all vets want to pursue post-secondary education after their service, and should have another avenue, like an apprenticeship, to gain more skills to use in their profession. We passed this bill last night, and I was thankful for the inclusion of my provision.
Likewise, I co-authored a bill included in our larger jobs legislation that was also approved on Thursday. This provision allocates $400,000 over the next two years to fund the Helmets to Hard Hats program. Like my other bill, this helps vets transition into apprenticeship programs. Both of these provisions will go to help our service men and women after they’re done serving our country; they deserve it.
Cottage Grove Visits
I was fortunate to visit the Cottage Grove Lions for breakfast, as well as the Cottage Grove VFW. My granddaughters loved meeting the Easter bunny. Thanks to all who came out!
Playoff Season
If you know me, you know that I’m a huge Minnesota Wild fan. We were lucky to have the Stanley Cup make a trip to the Capitol this week. Since we’re starting the playoffs soon, I was sure NOT to touch the cup to avoid any bad luck.
Please Contact Me
Next week, the House and Senate are on break for Easter and Passover. I’ll be back in the district more, and hope to see you around. If you don’t catch me, I’ll still be monitoring my legislative phone and email, so feel free to contact me there.
Enjoy the weekend!
Keith