June, 2018
Governor Dayton Takes Action On Legislation
Governor Mark Dayton has officially signed the last bill of his career: a bipartisan pension plan that passed the Senate unanimously and will secure retirement benefits for generations to come. He also signed a bonding bill into law, which helps establish a new facility for the Hennepin County Medical Examiner in Minnetonka near Glen lake and provides funding for metro parks.
The governor also vetoed two major pieces of legislation: the omnibus spending bill and the omnibus tax bill. Both bills had good bipartisan pieces of legislation, however they also contained provisions that the governor had promised to veto. I believe that the root of our problem was in having bills that were simply too large. Provisions we all agreed on were lumped in with bills we were still debating, and so bipartisan agreements on elder care and opioid overdose prevention end up not getting signed into law. I believe that this session provided our state with a teachable moment about how we can better serve the people of Minnesota. We need to follow our state constitution’s single-subject clause.
Thank you to Governor Dayton for your exemplary career of public service. The world is a better place because of the work you have done.
Celebrating Memorial Day
John Sorich, a student of mine from 15 years ago, spoke at the Eden Prairie Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday morning. To John and all of those that have served in our military we salute you.
Eden Prairie Chamber Hosts Legislative Recap
The Eden Prairie Chamber of Commerce had its legislative wrap-up breakfast last week, and we had a full crew in attendance: Myself along with Representative Laurie Pryor, Senator Melisa Franzen, and Representative Jenifer Loon. Thank you to everyone who attended.
Visiting the High Schools
The first Wednesday after session ended, I visited with students at Eden Prairie High School to hear some of their thoughts on the work we did.
The students asked lots of thought-provoking questions. I know our future generations will be in good hands.
Then, yesterday I also got the opportunity to spend a whole day as a guest teacher at Minnetonka High School. Having both of these schools in District 48 is a pleasure and privilege.
The teacher I was pinch-hitting for was actually a former student of mine, Emily Rosengren. She is doing a wonderful job instilling her same passion for government in our state’s next generation.
To all of the students who will be graduating this year, I wish you the best of luck in pursuing your dreams.
A Note On Interim Newsletters
Until we near the next legislative session, I will only be sending out newsletters at the beginning of each month. I hope you all enjoy your summer. Never hesitate to reach out to me with comments, questions, or concerns.