STEVENS COUNTY

REPUBLICANS

29841 US HWY 59

MORRIS,  ,MN.

56267 

State Representative

Torrey Westrom

443 State Office Building, 100 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155

Phone: (651) 296-4929 E-mail: rep.torrey.westrom@house.mn

Email Update

Dear Neighbor,

Last week was a busy week here at the House of Representatives. Several bills were introduced, but here’s an update on two bills that were introduced last week, House File 1 and House File 2. We are pleased to have put together bills to help businesses to expand in Minnesota and to put us on the right path to balancing the budget.

Legislation:

House File 1 is being authored by Rep. Dan Fabian of house district 1A. He is a teacher and crop insurance adjuster in Roseau. The bill will include:

· Establishing a 150 day goal for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to issue permits and require a report on applications not meeting that goal.

· Eliminate district court review of environmental review decisions and send all appeals directly to the Court of Appeals.

· Allow a project proposer the option prepare the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), rather than waiting for a regulated government unit such as a state agency or local government.

House File 2 is being authored by Rep. King Banaian of house district 15B; he is a professor of economics at St. Cloud State University and is also a part of the freshman class with me. His bill is regarding priority-based budgeting, commonly known as zero-based budgeting. This bill will:

· Enact a priority-based biennial budget for fiscal years 2014 and 2015 that aligns state’s available revenues to core state functions.

· Requires a 10-year planned review, beginning in 2013, by the Office of the Legislative Auditor on the sunset of all state agencies, advisory committees, policy boards and agency functions to determine whether a public need exists for continuation.

· Holds public meetings on review to allow citizen engagement.

Another bill introduced last week is the Nuclear Moratorium Repeal, authored by Rep. Joyce Peppin from Rogers. This bill was passed in the Environment, Energy and Natural Resources committee and is heading to the Commerce Committee now.

I always welcome your input and ideas; one way to pass along your thoughts and ideas during the session is by e-mailing me at rep.torrey.westrom@house.mn. You can also reach my office at 800-711-2620 or 651-296-4929. I also enjoy when my constituents stop by my office, I am located at 443 State Office Building, 100 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. St. Paul, MN 55155. Feel free to email or call to set up an appointment.

Sincerely,

Torrey

Representative Torrey Westrom
Chairman of the House Civil Law Committee

District 11A
Room 443 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155-1298
Office: 651-296-4929

Fax: 651-296-7189
TOLL FREE # 1-800-711-2620
sign up for email updates at www.torreywestrom.com