Travels Around the District
I was so glad to be back in Minnesota for the last couple weeks. There's nowhere better to be in the summer.
While I was back, I got to visit with lots of small businesses and community leaders in Minnesota's 7th District.
I met with the Renville County Board of Commissioners, where we discussed the Farm Bill and how federal laws and regulations affect the local level of governance. I then met with the Olivia Economic Development Authority, who gave me a tour around Olivia's Main Street while we discussed their concerns surrounding broadband access, housing, and daycare. On the tour I met the owners of Next Step Creativity and Olivia Corncade, which they added to provide a space for the youth of the community.
I also toured the Olivia Hospital and Clinic. I was impressed to see all the ways the Olivia Hospital is continuously looking for ways to provide health opportunities for the community, including working on a wellness center, partnering with the food shelf, doing dental outreach, and more.
I got to tour Life Link III at the Willmar Airport, which has been providing life-saving efforts in Minnesota for over three decades. It was especially great to see the passion the men and women who work there have for the job.
I joined State Sen. Andrew Lang and State Rep. Dean Urdahl at the Kandiyohi and Meeker Counties Farm Bureau Ice Cream Social and Legislative Recap in Willmar, where we gave a summary of the recent Congressional session and Minnesota's legislative session.
Across the district, I hear concerns about the needs of our rural communities. I take these concerns to heart. They drive what I fight for and vote on in D.C. Here are a few examples of bills House Republicans have introduced and passed this Congress that will benefit businesses and communities in the 7th District:
- The Rural Veterinary Workforce Act makes loan repayments through the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP, which provides student loan reimbursement to veterinarians who choose to practice for three years in federally designated shortage areas) tax exempt. This will expand the program's reach ot address the veterinary shortages in rural areas.
- The Simplifying Grants Act would require the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to simplify the grant process for rural areas.
- The Custom Health Option and Individual Care Expense (CHOICE) Arrangement Act allows small businesses to provide more options to their employees when it comes to health insurance benefits, codifies a rule allowing small businesses to reimburse employees for buying their own health insurance on the individual market.
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