Dear Friends & Neighbors,

It has been a busy week at the Capitol, and I’m excited to share the latest legislative updates. The Senate passed two great bipartisan bills, please keep reading for more information. As always, feel free to reach out to my office with any thoughts or concerns.

MSFA Follow Up

I have received an outpouring of support from people across the state – conservatives, liberals, and everything in between – for the remarks I made during the MSFA hearing last week. I was happy to represent you in those moments, and advocate for greater transparency and accountability on your behalf.

In case you missed it, you can view a clip of the hearing here: https://youtu.be/vr2Yvp9QqcU.

I want to thank Representative Anderson and Senator Kiffmeyer for hosting the hearing and allowing the public in on this very important discussion. On Thursday, the Chair of the MSFA and Executive Director, Michele Kelm-Helgen and Ted Mondale respectively, announced their resignations. I know many of you have suggested a shake-up at MSFA, and your voices are being heard.  

Senator Limmer passed S.F. 604 in his Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety this week, which would make the records of all persons who receive free or discounted admissions to public owned and operated convention facilities available to the public. I will keep you updated on more legislative efforts to reign in the MSFA’s authority and protect taxpayers from further exploitation.

Legislation Passed by the Senate This Week

Xcel to build a new natural gas plant in Becker, securing power to the community 

A bill to permit Xcel Energy to build a new natural gas plant at the Sherco facility in Becker was debated and approved by the Senate this week. This new plant will replace two coal-fired plants that Xcel plans to shut down. Xcel pitched the idea directly to the Legislature, instead of waiting for the Public Utilities Commission for approval per the usual process. This is because a new natural gas plant needs to be built soon, in order to replace the baseload power that will be lost when the coal facilities are shut down.

The Sherco facility delivers power and utility reliability to all surrounding residents. It is also the largest employer in the area and provides a great deal of property tax revenue for the city. The new natural gas plant will help the Becker’s economy and provide security for its families. I look forward to the great outcomes it will have for that community.  

RFA loans will help Minnesota farmers 

Minnesotan farmers are struggling right now. Low commodity prices – on corn and soybean specifically –  have caused a statewide agricultural downturn. As the second largest employer in our state, agriculture is a cornerstone of Minnesota’s economy. The Legislature has been called upon to take action to keep our state’s agricultural industry strong. This week, the Senate responded to this call by passing a bill to increase access to credit for farmers struggling to break even.

The Rural Finance Authority (RFA) provides low-cost loans that help keep our farmers in business. So far, these loans have helped nearly 3,000 farmers buy land and their farms up and running. RFA loans are user-finances and have an extraordinarily low default rate, which means the state gets back almost everything it invests. It is a smart solution that will help farmers maintain their operations and feed their families and ours.

Auto Theft Prevention

This week I presented legislation to the Senate commerce committee aimed at returning taxpayer dollars to designated funds. Every car insurance payment includes a fee that goes to the “auto theft prevention fund.” This fund supports statewide programs and initiatives to prevent auto theft. A few years ago, the state needed supplementary funds, so the Legislature approved a motion to take half of the money collected from those fees and instead of allocating it for the auto theft prevention fund, it was put into the state’s General Fund to finance a variety of other priorities. S.F. 929 requires those fees to be put back into the auto theft prevention fund where they belong. The bill had unanimous support from the Committee and will likely be heard by Finance next.

New appointments to announce!

I’m excited to announce that I have been appointed to the MNsure Task Force, where we will be looking into future option for health care reform in Minnesota.

I have also been selected to serve on the Subcommittee on Employee Relations. With my years of experience in both the private and public sector, I am ready to share my perspective on the challenges and opportunities for businesses in our economy.

Thank you for reading. I hope you have a great week.

Sincerely,