Dear Neighbors,
Things have been busy down at the State Capitol with frequent committee hearings with full agendas. On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to be shadowed by two students – Morgan from Wadena and Ava from Kasson-Mantorville – who are participants in Family, Career and Community Leaders of America. These students develop skills such as leadership, critical thinking, and interpersonal communication as they look ahead to future educational opportunities and career goals.
On Wednesday evening, I attended a dinner hosted by the Painters and Allied Trades to raise money for children in need. In all, over $10,000 was raised for the Children’s MN Foundation.
Attendees had the opportunity to win door prizes, and one winner was fellow Iron Ranger John Forrest.
I’m so proud that our brothers and sisters in labor are not only so hard-working but also incredibly generous, giving back to their community.
Wild Rice Standard
Last week, the House Environment Committee considered the next steps for Minnesota’s wild rice sulfate standard. As you may know, in January a state Administrative Law Judge rejected a proposal from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to drastically change the state standard. The current standard is scientifically obsolete, and unfortunately, the PCA’s recent proposal fell short of peer-reviewed scientific standards.
We need to protect our precious natural resources, including clean water and wild rice. I also believe we can do so while allowing good-paying jobs to grow in key industries like mining. While I don’t serve on the committee, the members have a bipartisan desire to come up with a safe solution. This will require a great deal of heavy lifting, but we have to move the needle to pass a workable, reasonable, and healthy standard.
MNLARS fixes
Technological upgrades to Minnesota’s Licensing and Registration System, known as MNLARS, have been decades in the making. The initial roll-out of a new system last year had serious hiccups. A new leadership team and proven IT vendors have been brought on board to right the ship. While a lot of progress has been made on fixing MNLARS, there are still issues that need to be fixed.
In January, Governor Dayton told legislators that he needed us to make $10 million available in the budget of the Department of Public Safety by March 1 so he could continue to keep IT professionals working on those fixes for MNLARS. This deadline has passed, and unfortunately, layoff notices have been sent to dozens of IT professionals working on the problem. So far, those in the House Majority have only been willing to extend access to this money if it comes from elsewhere in the executive branch.
As we start incorporating elements of Real ID into our driver’s license system, we urgently need to get this right. Drivers, auto dealers, deputy registrars and everyone else deserve a licensing system that performs at a high level. I hope we can make real progress to fix this system soon.
Senator Smith’s office to visit Hibbing
Staff from the office of U.S. Senator Tina Smith will be holding open office hours Thursday, March 15 at Hibbing Community College. Sen. Smith’s staff will be on hand from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. to assist Minnesotans experiencing difficulty with a variety of federal systems, including: the Department of Veterans Affairs; U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services; Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services; Social Security Administration; and the U.S. Passport Agency.
No appointment is necessary but people are requested to bring any documentation related to their case. Please call Senator Smith’s office at 651-221-1016 if you have any questions.
Additionally, don’t hesitate to reach out to me if there is anything at the state level I can assist with, and I always welcome your ideas and input.
Sincerely,
Julie Sandstede
State Representative