by the numbers
4,227
Doors knocked
1006 lbs
food donated
to food shelves
The Bill was passed as amended. Aye:129, Nay:0
Legislative Update - April 7, 2008
Friends and Neighbors-
I hope you enjoyed the first real spring rain. Today (Monday, April 7) on the House Floor, I will likely be presenting one of my signature policy bills of this legislative session - the Military and Overseas Voting Bill.
The bill is an initiative of the Pentagon and the result of a partnership between the Department of Defense, Minnesota's Secretary of State, Senator Sharon Erickson Ropes, and myself. Because of our late primary election date, red tape and other bureaucratic barriers, fewer than 20% of Minnesota's troops who tried to vote in 2006 succeeded in having their votes get counted on election day.
Our bill, Senate File 1218, will remove those barriers for all Minnesotans and U.S. citizens living or serving overseas. I believe Senator Erickson Ropes and I have forged a bipartisan compromise that should result in our bill becoming law. Time is of the essence, because we want to ensure that our defenders and ambassadors of democracy can be sure their votes will be counted in the historic election of 2008. Though I will propose amending a few sections of the bill, you can read the most recent version of the bill here: https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/bin/getbill.php? number=SF1218&version=1&type=ue&session=ls85 .
If you'd like to watch the House Floor debate live, you can catch it on the statewide television feed (Channel 17 on broadcast tv), or online at http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/htv/schedule.asp (Click on the "Live Event" link next to the House Floor Session listing for today).
We are slated to begin today's legislative session near 12:30 p.m. Because of the fluid nature of the legislature, there is a small chance that we may take up more urgent business. When I left the Capitol Friday afternoon it sounded like we are likely to address election bills today.
As usual, your questions, comments, ideas and feedback are always welcome.
All my best,
Jeremy
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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