Greetings,
We are three weeks away from the end of session. The House is rapidly working through bills that have been sent to the House floor. The same process is taking place in the Senate. If similar bills are passed by both bodies, a conference committee will be created to work out the differences in the bills. Once that happens, that compromise proposal will be presented to both legislative bodies for final passage.
HOLDING THE SPEAKER’S GAVEL
Retiring House members always have the opportunity to spend some time at the Speaker’s rostrum during a floor session to temporarily preside over the body. I took my turn on Thursday – though I also served as Speaker Pro Tempore during the 2015-16 session.
An additional bonus: John deCausmeaker, who sings the National Anthem at Minnesota Wild home games, sang the Star-Spangled Banner on the House floor Thursday. A beautiful rendition!
COMMERCE BILLS MOVING AHEAD
Several of the bills that are receiving House floor debates originated in the commerce committee in which I co-chair. This session, our committee had tremendous success approving bipartisan legislation that will help Minnesotans with consumer protection and affordability.
ADDRESSING FRAUD WITH CRYPTOCURRENCY KIOSKS
Our committee also moved forward with legislation that would ban stand-alone cryptocurrency kiosks, which are similar – but are not – ATM machines. We have heard from several law enforcement officials who tell us far too many in our senior population are being extorted by scammers who convince them to send cryptocurrency, which is difficult to recover. Our seniors are most impacted by this type of fraud, and they are also the least likely to tell anyone they’ve been victims of fraud. When you consider that by 2035, Minnesota will soon have more people above the age of 65 than it does below the age of 18, you understand the need to implement this safeguard.
FRAUD ISN’T FREE ACT
Recognizing safeguards also need to be in place regarding fraud in Minnesota, the House considered the Fraud Isn’t Free Act this week. It would require agencies to halt new enrollment in programs where fraud is found and remove responsible leadership. The proposal also mandates a 10% budget cut and a 25% reduction in leadership salaries until fraud is reported to law enforcement, employees involved are terminated, and recovery efforts begin. The final vote saw all Republicans voting in support of the measure and all Democrats opposing it.
WORKING ON FEDERAL TAX CONFORMITY
Among the items still being worked out is state compliance with the federal tax bill. Our House taxes committee is still discussing how to process the federal deductions, such as removing the tax on tips and overtime, so Minnesotans can enjoy these benefits. Stay tuned on how this all pulls together as session comes winds down.
KEEP IN TOUCH
As always, I'm continuing to support constituent needs. Feel free to contact me anytime at rep.tim.odriscoll@house.mn or by phone at 651-296-7808.
Have a good weekend,
Tim