Greetings,
Last week I spent time at Lakewood Hospital touring their facility and meeting with staff to better understand the challenges facing our local health care providers. I spent the morning touring their recently expanded clinic space and learned about the Community Health and Behavioral Health work currently being done at Lakewood. Thank you to all the staff and doctors that provide outstanding medical care to our area! I look forward to working with you this coming legislative session.
In other news, earlier this week the Dayton administration announced that an additional $43 million is needed to finish building the state’s new Minnesota Licensing and Registration System (MNLARS) for processing vehicle title and registration transactions. This is $43 million above and beyond the already $100 million taxpayers have spent on the failed system.
So far, ten years into the project, all Minnesotans have to show for this massive investment is a failed system that causes delays and problems when trying to register a vehicle or transfer a title at their local license bureau. Simply put, Minnesotans deserve better.
The failures of MNLARS are a failure of the Dayton administration and it's causing headaches and frustration for Minnesotans who just need a system that is able to process basic registration/title/other DMV transactions. The Governor has had years to change leadership, change course, and deliver a working product and it has yet to happen. Stay tuned for potential solutions this coming session.
Finally, with tax season coming up, I encourage you to take advantage of the IRS’ free file program. This program enables people who earn $66,000 or less to choose from among a dozen commercial tax preparation products to prepare and file their federal tax return. In most cases, they’re able to file completely free of charge. Visit www.irs.gov/freefile for more information.
Contact Me
If you know of someone who would like to receive these updates, please forward this email to them (Sign up here).
Also, like me on Facebook!
If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding any issue related to state government, please feel free to contact me at either 651-296-4293, or rep.john.poston@house.mn.
Sincerely,
John