Sign up for updates!

Friends and Neighbors-

It's been a few weeks since the last legislative update, and I realized tonight I haven't written since we opened the 2008 Legislative Session last Tuesday. We are working fast and furious already. Several legislative observers say this is the fastest start out of the chute they've seen in decades, literally.

Last Thursday, we passed the Legacy Amendment, a bill that I co-sponsored. More than 10 years in the works, the Constitutional Amendment, if approved by voters in November, will dedicate approx. $274 Million split three ways: 1) Outdoor habitat; 2) Clean Water Legacy and drinking water protection, and 3) Parks, Trails and the Arts. The Legacy Bill was one of my campaign priorities, and it was a thrill to check this big item off the list in just the third day of session.

The Transportation Bill is moving quickly through committees in both the House and Senate. It looks like we'll vote on the bill on the House Floor on Thursday; just as I did last year, I will send a "live-blog" update from the House Floor during the debate. I will wait until then to outline the bill in detail, but the provision that I am most pleased with is $650 Million in bonding authority for bridges, including the 13 "fracture-critical" bridges that are rated lower than the 35W bridge was. There's a lot more to the bill, but we are definitely taking care of these unsafe bridges right away.

The Bonding bill is also proceeding very quickly. Today, our Energy Finance Committee approved our recommended bonding items, including the "Green Bonds" program to assist local governments who want to build more energy-efficient buildings but cannot afford the incremental extra cost. Chisago City is one such city, and their City Administrator testified in support of this bill last week.

An exciting local project is the Camp Ojiketa purchase to establish Ojiketa Regional Park. A former Campfire Girls camp, this 70-acre parcel south of Chisago City includes 3,000 feet of shoreline on Green Lake. The Trust for Public Land has purchased an option to buy the land by the end of the year, and the City has agreed to play a significant role. I've introduced HF2743 to secure bonding dollars to help with the purchase. I will write more as I know more.

That's all for now. Look for my legislative survey later this week, that "live-blog" during the Transportation debate, and much, much more!

I hope all is well with you and your family; stay warm!

All my best,
Jeremy

P.S. As usual, please email or call with any questions or feedback about specific legislation or any other matters before the Legislature this year. Thanks!

--------

Jeremy Kalin
State Representative - 17B
sign up for my email updates at www.house.mn/17b

Contact me at the Capitol:
Rep.Jeremy.Kalin@House.mn
651.296.5377
579 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive
St. Paul MN 55155

Contact me at home:
11629 Loftman Trail
North Branch, MN 55056
651-257-9861
Jeremy@Kalin.com