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May
8,
2017
Dear
friends
and
neighbors,
With
only
two
full
weeks
left
in
session,
the
Senate
is
working
with
the
House
and
the
Governor
to
finish
up
negotiations
on
major
budget
bills.
Keep
reading
for
an
update
on
the
talks
between
state
leaders
and
information
on
what
I
have
been
up
to
as
we
close
out
this
legislative
session.
Budget
Update
In
the
past,
poor
leadership
and
political
gridlock
have
prevented
fundamental
legislation
from
passing
and
advancing
our
state
forward.
Minnesotans
are
tired
of
seeing
their
legislature
fail
to
put
aside
the
games
to
do
their
jobs
and
what’s
best
for
Minnesota.
They
elected
a
new
majority,
and
now
Senate
Republicans
are
making
every
effort
to
change
the
tide
at
the
legislature
and
work
together
to
avoid
eleventh
hour
chaos,
secret
back
room
negotiations,
or
another
idle
session.
The
House
and
the
Senate
made
every
early
deadline
that
was
set
back
in
January
to
finish
up
our
work
with
plenty
of
time
to
negotiate
major
budget
bills
with
the
Governor
before
session
ends.
We
had
hoped
the
Governor
would
engage
in
conference
committee
discussions
to
help
us
understand
his
priorities
and
include
them
in
the
legislation
we
are
working
to
finalize
for
his
approval.
Although
he
has
chosen
to
be
absent
during
this
critical
process,
we
have
included
over
536
policy
sections
requested
by
Governor
Dayton’s
agencies
to
ensure
both
sides
of
the
aisle
are
represented
in
the
budget
bills
we
hope
to
pass
this
month.
To
review
the
Governor’s
specific
policy
recommendations
the
legislature
has
made
sure
to
include
in
the
final
budget
bills,
please
click
this
link.
My
First
Bill
Unanimously
Passes
the
Senate
One
week
ago
today,
I
presented
my
first
bill
to
pass
the
Senate!
I
have
authored
a
number
of
bills
consistent
with
my
core
beliefs
and
aimed
at
making
a
positive
impact
in
our
community.
While
I
would
like
the
same
success
for
each,
we
don’t
always
have
time
in
each
session
to
hear
and
pass
every
bill
that
is
authored
by
the
67
different
members
of
the
Senate.
Fortunately,
Senate
File
2008
was
prioritized
this
session
and
on
Monday
it
passed
with
bipartisan
support.
Senate
File
2008
fulfills
my
mission
of
streamlining,
updating,
or
eliminating
redundant
or
unnecessary
laws
to
help
government
operate
more
efficiently
and
transparently.
There
is
currently
a
law
on
the
books
that
requires
grocery
stores
to
put
a
price
sticker
on
each
product
they
sell.
But
when
was
the
last
time
you
saw
a
sticker
on
each
individual
banana,
or
can
of
soup,
or
jug
of
milk?
Grocery
stores
now
typically
display
the
price
on
the
shelf
below
a
row
of
products,
ignoring
the
current
price
sticker
requirement.
Instead
of
spending
the
time
and
resources
to
force
grocery
stores
to
adhere
to
this
rather
impractical
rule,
I
decided
we
ought
to
just
change
the
law
instead.
Senate
File
2008
brings
the
law
up-to-date
to
reflect
current
industry
practice.
It
still
requires
grocery
stores
to
display
the
price
of
items
they
sell,
but
we
no
longer
have
the
government
mandating
individual
price
stickers
for
each
product.
I
was
proud
to
carry
this
bill
on
the
Senate
Floor
and
advocate
for
a
better
set
of
more
practical
laws
that
reflect
daily
life.
Between
the
Lines
with
Al
Travis
I
enjoy
every
opportunity
I
have
to
talk
to
people
about
the
work
we
are
doing
at
the
Capitol.
Educating
the
public
is
a
pivotal
responsibility
of
any
elected
official.
I
was
fortunate
to
be
interviewed
by
Al
Travis
of
the
political
talk
show
Between
the
Lines.
We
sat
down
two
weeks
ago
to
discuss
the
latest
news
from
the
legislature.
I
hope
you
take
a
moment
to
watch
my
interview
and
learn
more
about
what
Senate
Republicans
are
doing
to
advance
Minnesota.
Click
here
to
watch:
https://vimeo.com/215540806
Sincerely,
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