By Rep. Jordan Rasmusson
The 2022 session has begun and most of the focus right now is on drafting bills and introducing them in preparation for taking the first steps in the legislative process.
More than 3,000 bills already have been introduced in the House, including some I am sponsoring that have both statewide significance and local ties. One of my bills provides childcare centers with added flexibility at the request of local childcare providers. Specifically, my bill makes permanent some of the temporary modifications the state put into effect during the peacetime emergency regarding staffing and group-size rules for licensed childcare centers.
We face a significant childcare shortage in our state – particularly in Greater Minnesota – and the pandemic has only exacerbated this issue. The common-sense changes I propose worked during the peacetime emergency and will help childcare centers who are struggling with staffing issues provide care to more families.
This measure is supported by local childcare providers and has bipartisan support in the Legislature.
I also am working on a bill to help deliver faster, more reliable internet services to unserved and underserved areas of Otter Tail County. The lakes and rivers that we love in Otter Tail County also complicate the delivery of broadband service. Some households show up on broadband maps as served, but still do not have broadband service, which means they are ineligible for current programs. Additionally, the new federal mapping requirements will remove serviceable addresses from maps if they do not currently have service. This will result in “Swiss cheese holes” across the state on our broadband maps and, without passage of my bill, frustration will continue for those unserved locations.
My bill proposes a reverse-auction system, directly connecting residents and businesses lacking access to broadband internet service with service providers to assist in the expense of extending broadband to these locations.
For better or worse, the state and federal governments are investing heavily in broadband deployment. Over the next few years, broadband providers have or will receive federal broadband funds to provide service to thousands of unserved households in Minnesota. These funds, along with vast amounts of private capital, will allow Minnesota to complete its mission of ubiquitous access to broadband across the state – if spent wisely. My bill helps to ensure this process is conducted effectively and efficiently.
This session, I look forward to working on these and other bills that benefit our region and state. As always, please reach out with any questions or input as the legislative session continues.
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