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News from Rep. Peggy Bennett 03-20-2015

Friday, March 20, 2015
Dear Friends,

Today marks the end of the first committee deadline, marking the end of a two-week long stretch with long committee meetings and dozens of bills being moved through the process. As I mentioned last week, all of my bills except the one I introduced yesterday have met the first committee deadline.

Listening Session on Buffer Strips
Tomorrow morning at 10:30AM at the City Center in Blooming Prairie I will be hosting a listening session on Governor Dayton's buffer strip proposal. As you may have heard, Governor Dayton has proposed a plan to institute a 50 foot buffer zone around "all of Minnesota's waters, regardless of their classification or designation." I am grateful to that the Executive Director of the Water and Soil Resources Board John Jaschke has agreed to attend the meeting, where he will give an overview of the Governor's proposal and answer questions and clarify details about the plan.

I'm looking forward to hearing feedback on how the proposal would impact your farm or land, and your ideas on how we can improve upon the plan or find an acceptable compromise that protects farmers, landowners, as well as the environment. I know that all of us—especially our farmers—want to be good stewards of the environment to ensure thriving and healthy crops, and waterways that are clean and safe. I do however have concerns about the one-size-fits-all nature of the plan, and hope we can find a solution that farmers can feel comfortable with.

If you aren't able to attend, please email me or call my office with your thoughts and feedback. You can reach me at rep.peggy.bennett@house.mn or by phone at 651-296-8216.

Full Details:
Listening Session on Buffer Strips with Board of Soil and Water Resources Executive Director John Jaschke
DATE: Saturday, March 21
TIME: 10:30AM
LOCATION: Blooming Prairie City Center ({C}138 Hwy S, Blooming Prairie, MN)

Assisted Living Grant Bill
Yesterday I introduced a bill to establish a grant program for assisted living facilities that would help pay for infrastructure or maintenance upgrades, as well as assistive technology that would help keep seniors in assisted living homes as opposed to a nursing home.

After visiting Just Like Home in Albert Lea, and speaking with other assisted living facilities, a common frustration I've been hearing is the difficulty these facilities have keeping up with repairs and maintenance for their homes or facilities, as well as expensive technologies such as chair lifts that help people get up and down stairs.

Oftentimes assisted living is a less expensive option for seniors and their families compared to nursing homes, so there's good reason to help keep these assisted living homes operating. Keeping seniors in assisted living facilities can help save the state money as well.

The bill is unfortunately not going to make the first committee deadline, but is something I plan to pursue and push for next year if we can't include it in one of our larger bills this year.

Transportation Plan
On Monday, Republicans will be announcing our comprehensive transportation proposal that will invest in Minnesota roads and bridges. We've listened to the voices of Minnesotans who want us to focus on transportation and truly make it a priority rather than simply taking more money out of people's pockets through a gas tax or fee increases. I will be sure to send along details of the proposal after they are released in full on Monday.

Keep in Touch
Please feel free to email me at any time at rep.peggy.bennett@house.mn or by phone at 651-296-8216. You can also follow my updates on Facebook at www.fb.com/reppeggybennett and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/peggyabennett.

Have a great weekend,

Peggy Bennett
State Representative, District 27A
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