Dear Neighbors,
Last week I was sworn in as your State Representative. It’s an incredible privilege and honor to act as your voice at the Capitol. Here are a few items I wanted to update you on:
First Weeks Activities
It’s been a busy first couple weeks at the Capitol. The schedule of floor sessions, committee meetings, meeting with constituents and other groups started right away. While we haven’t had too many late nights yet, I’m anticipating that I’ll be spending a lot of time working on behalf of our community. I was appointed to serve on three powerful committees: Agriculture Policy, Capital Investment, and Transportation Finance. Sitting on those committees puts me in a great position to deliver for you and Rochester.
Health Insurance Premium Relief
One of the issues that everyone agrees we need to address is relief for 120,000 Minnesotans who buy their health insurance on the individual market. Their facing pretty staggering increases. Governor Dayton and my DFL colleagues are supporting a simple 25% rebate for those people, without any red tape or major policy changes. Unfortunately the Republicans who control the House and Senate are insisting on some pretty drastic changes, such as allowing for-profit insurers to enter Minnesota. They also want to add several state government hoops people will need to jump through to get their rebates. People have until January 31st to buy their insurance, so I think it’s pretty important we just pass a bill to help them out.
Visit the Newly Restored Capitol
The Capitol is a pretty amazing building. It was designed by Cass Gilbert, who designed the Supreme Court building in Washington, DC. It’s been restored and is really a fantastic sight to see. I encourage you and your family to come visit me and see this amazing building.
Free 45-minute tours are available daily and start on the hour. They leave from the Information Center in Room 126. If you have a larger group, you can schedule a tour by emailing grouptickets@mnhs.org or calling 651-259-3003. For K-12 Field Trips, visit mnhs.org/fieldtriprequest or call 1-800-387-5008.
Finally, I want to make sure you know you can contact me about any issues that are important to you. Please don’t hesitate to contact me to schedule an appointment or share your concerns via phone or e-mail.
Sincerely,
Duane