Since our state legislature convened their 2021 regular session earlier this month, lawmakers have been holding general informational hearings with state agencies and steadily introducing bills for consideration. One of those bills already introduced and subject to a previous MDRA legislative alert was HF 54 (Elkins), our filing fee proposal to increase our DL fee by $8, our MV long app fee by $6, and our MV short app fee by $3. Yesterday, its companion bill, SF 459 (Jasinski), was introduced in the senate! These bills were referred to the Transportation Committees in each body for future hearings.
As previously requested, we strongly encourage every office to call your respective state senator and state representative and express your need to have this legislation heard and enacted this session! We recommend you do this every week to help instill a sense of urgency. When calling identify yourself as being their constituent, provide your name and contact information, you work as (or for) a deputy registrar (include your staff in this effort), and specify HF 54 and SF 459 as legislation critically needed to sustain your office. Without committing to do this weekly, your lawmakers may assume it’s not that important!
This campaign is designed to collectively “beat the drum” and elevate this matter with all lawmakers state-wide, regardless whether they serve on the transportation committee. Internally, lawmakers talk amongst themselves and the more calls we generate helps raise awareness to our issue. In another month, we will then switch this effort to the transportation committee members. We will then ask for your help again, though not on a weekly basis like we’re asking now.
To determine who your lawmakers are, visit either www.house.mn or www.senate.mn and click the link for “who represents me?” We recommend placing phone calls to your state representative and state senator who match your home address entered. (Federal lawmakers listed are not applicable for our effort.) Due to the high volume of emails coming into lawmakers’ offices, we suggest phone calls and voice mails currently.
Attached to this update, find our first chart of all bills introduced to date that have potential implications for deputy registrars. This will be regularly updated and shared accordingly with you as time goes on. Please review and familiarize yourself with these additional bills listed. One of these is HF 272 (Elkins), which would create a pilot project for deputy based self-service kiosks.
Please contact us at mndeputyregistrars@gmail.com should you have any questions concerning this update or any other related legislative matters for MDRA consideration!
Thank you, deputies!
Jim Hirst, MDRA lobbyist
