Senator Jim Carlson and I held a Town Hall Meeting on the evening of July 8 at the Wescott Library in Eagan. Our appreciation to all who attended and participated in this event.
Ruth Grengs was our guest speaker and was kind enough to provide us some background on the activities on the Mexican border. She has lived in our community for many years. I knew she was an immigration attorney and I also knew she had been to our southern border recently. While immigration is a federal issue, the current controversy is a concern for many in our community and our state. Given the time constraints, it was suggested to have a discussion just on this topic.
The main focus was the 2019 Session. Highlights include passing a budget, preserving the provider tax to retain health care access for over a million Minnesotans, the Elder Abuse Protection Legislation, and the Hands-free Bill. Disappointments include not passing many of the insulin bills or a comprehensive transportation bill.
One of the comments was on state shut-downs. The gentleman said they are very harmful to state employees. He believes that when the governor and legislators fail to agree on a budget and shut down state services, they should not receive compensation during that period. Another constituent asked whether it was still possible to have a democracy given the partisanship that seems to make compromises almost impossible.