Newman previews new session

By State Rep.
Scott Newman
R-Hutchinson
The legislative session began Tuesday, March 8. This session is scheduled to be much shorter than usual, so the next 10 weeks will be quite a whirlwind. Although it is a bonding year, there are other issues that I believe to be top priorities as well. Below is a list and brief summary of those issues.
• Bonding bill: Bonding bills are composed of funding requests for various projects from local authorities and state departments. If you were following my newsletters during the interim, you likely have a good idea of what these requests look like in general. If you would like more information about these bonding requests, please visit the bonding website and/or previous newsletters.
• Tax reform: As in previous years, I am dedicated to reforming our tax codes. As taxpayers, you should be allowed to keep as much of your hard-earned money as possible.
• Judiciary: There are two issues in particular that I believe will be prioritized in the Judiciary Committee this session. Those being 1) sentencing guidelines and 2) overpopulated prison system.
1) This issue has recently been brought to the forefront of many conversations across the nation and, based on various legislative meetings I have been a part of during the interim, I expect it to be heavily addressed this year in Minnesota.
2) Minnesota is quickly running out of space for prisoners and various proposals have been discussed to address this problem, including utilizing prison facilities in Appleton by way of a lease agreement.
•  Newly introduced bills: I will be introducing a number of bills this session, but I would like to bring to your attention the following:
1) Wastewater treatment facilities: As a result of relatively new MPCA regulations, many wastewater treatment facilities across the state, particularly in smaller rural cities, are being forced to remodel or build new wastewater treatment plants. The new regulations make what appears to be a very minor, if not negligible, improvement to the environment, but adds a very significant financial burden to rural cities. As a result, the Bonding Committee has received numerous bonding requests involving 10s of millions of dollars to pay for this new state mandate. This bill would require a cost-benefit analysis be completed in regard to these new regulations so as to objectively determine whether the regulations imposed by the MPCA are worthwhile.
2) Recreational trails pass: For access to many trails across the state, it is required that certain users pay a fee for use of trails (e.g. ATV and horseback riders). However, other users, such as bicyclists, hikers and skiers, are not required to pay any sort of fee for use of these trails. Recreational trails have become popular, but are very expensive to create and maintain. With this bill I am searching for a way to equitably spread some of the cost among that segment of our population that actually uses these trails.
3) Patrolman Michael Hogan Memorial Highway: In 1989 Hutchinson police officer Michael Hogan was murdered when he responded to a shoplifting call. This bill would name a portion of Minnesota Highway 7 in McLeod County in memory of Officer Hogan and comes at the request of numerous constituents in Hutchinson and throughout McLeod County.
Throughout this short session, I will regularly be releasing newsletters to keep you all updated on the legislative goings-on. As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments.