Dear Neighbors,
I hope you’re looking forward to an enjoyable weekend. It’s been a busy and rewarding week in St. Paul, and I wanted to share some exciting news.
Technology Select Committee
This week, Speaker Kurt Daudt created a Select Committee on Technology and Responsive Government, and was gracious enough to name me chair. Our committee will listen to Minnesotans and examine how they interact with government. Ultimately, our goal will be to harness innovation to respond to the emerging needs of the public instead of catering to the outdated needs of government systems. This process starts with you. If you have an idea how to use technology to make state government more efficient, please let me know.
New Bills
I’m working on a number of bills, and recently introduced a few to help our area. HF536 and HF537 are bills for a local sales tax option for New London and Spicer respectively. I also have a bill to benefit alternate learning within the Willmar School District. Good ideas for local bills come from you, and I hope you’ll contact me with any suggestions.
Opioid Awareness Day
As you know, opioid addiction and awareness is dear to my heart. This year, I’m working with a few interested groups to start Opioid Awareness Day on the Hill. This event will bring together families who’ve been hurt by this tragic illness to raise awareness and look for solutions going forward. The event is Tuesday, February 21 in St. Paul. Here’s a link to the event on Facebook. I’ll have more details later, but wanted to get it on your calendars.
Broadband Discussion
This week, I joined Senator Erik Simonson on TPT’s Almanac at the Capitol to discuss broadband expansion in rural Minnesota. Although we’re from different parties, Sen. Simonson and I have similar solutions to bring high-speed internet to Greater Minnesota. If you missed the show, you can click here (our segment starts around 16:50).
Please Contact Me
Your feedback and input are always welcome. Email me any time at rep.dave.baker@house.mn or call my office at 651-296-6206. You can also follow my updates on Facebook at www.facebook.com/repdavebaker or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DaveBakerMN.
Have a great weekend,
Dave