releases: https://collinpeterson.house.gov/media/newletter-archive/rep-petersons-newsletter-1292019
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| https://collinpeterson.house.gov/media/newletter-archive/rep-petersons-newsletter-1292019 | Rep. Peterson's Newsletter 12/9/2019 | 2019-12-09 | 2019 | 2019-12 | Democrat | House | MN | Collin Peterson | P000258 | collinpeterson.house.gov | legacy | My Fall 2019 Intern Class Dear Friends, After the Thanksgiving break, the House of Representatives met to take action on a number of bills before the end of session, including voting on legislation to stop bad robocalls, another to protect citizen's right to vote in state with a history of election interference. I attended a Veterans' Affairs markup on pending legislation that focused on preventing veteran's suicide. I met with the national Milk Producers Association and also received the IDFA Leadership Award for my work on the 2018 Farm Bill and the Dairy Margin Coverage Program. I introduced the Stamp Out Lyme Disease Actwith Rep. Delgado, Rep. Smith, and Rep. Zeldin to fund future research, prevention, and treatment of tick-borne diseases. As co-chair of the Lyme Disease caucus, I know how important it is to support research and prevention programs for Lyme Disease. I am proud to announce that the CentraCare Health System was awarded a Department of Agriculture Rural Development Grant that will establish a telemedicine project to expand healthcare and education opportunities in rural Minnesota. Sincerely, Congressman Collin C. Peterson Minnesota 7th District Black Hawk Helicopter Crash Three National Guard soldiers on a maintenance test flight were killed Thursday afternoon when their helicopter crashed into a farm field about 16 miles southwest of St. Cloud. This is a tremendous loss for the Minnesota National Guard, our respective communities and most importantly, the family, friends and loved ones of these soldiers. The National Guard's mission is to maintain properly trained and equipped units and this is a tragic reminder of the risk they take everyday to serve. Serving the 7th TRACED Act I continue to hear from countless constituents about unwanted robocalls. Earlier this year, I cosponsored the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act, which will give the Federal Communications Commission the tools it needs to stop bad robocalls. I voted to pass the TRACED Act, another piece of legislation that will fight robocalls by requiring every call to be verified and block spam calls. Every day, robocallers make over 100 million calls that are sometimes predatory or fraudulent. I am glad to support this measure to put an end to robocalls. Chairman's Corner Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Sen. Pat Roberts, IDFA President and CEO Michael Dykes, D.V.M I was honored to accept the International Dairy Foods Association's (IDFA) Leadership Award for my work supporting the dairy industry. Dairies are an important part of the 7th district economy, and the economy of rural America, and I do what I can to make sure our producers have an adequate safety net in times of increased market volatility. The 2018 Farm Bill created the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program to protect producers from large swings in milk or feed prices and many producers are benefitting from DMC as it begins its second year of implementation. IDFA also honored the leadership of Senators Pat Roberts and Tammy Baldwin, Representative Ron Kind and Chief Agriculture Negotiator Ambassador Gregg Doud for their support of America's dairy farmers. House Veterans' Affairs Committee On Thursday, the House Veterans' Affairs Committee marked up pending legislation, H.R. 4290, the Department of Veterans Affairs Contracting Preference Consistency Act, and the A.N.S. to H.R. 3495, the IMPROVE Well-Being for Veterans Act. The first bill was a compromise allowing certain VA contracts to be grandfathered in so that blind and disabled workers do not lose their existing jobs. The second bill related to veteran suicide prevention. As a cosponsor of the underlying veteran suicide prevention bill, I feel strongly that this is an important topic that Congress needs to be addressing. We know that more than 20 veterans take their lives each day, and we need to find ways to reach them and provide support. This bill provided funding to establish a grant program to help provide services to veterans at risk of suicide. Ensuring Lasting Smiles Update On Wednesday, Minnesotans Karl and Nancy Nelsen visited with my health care staff aide Rebekah Solem about progress on my bill, H.R. 1379, the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act (ELSA). This bill seeks to close an insurance loophole so that children born with congenital anomalies such as ectodermal dysplasias can get the medically-necessary treatments that they need. The Nelsens have been huge advocates on this issue, working to raise awareness of this issue and to connect impacted families with their Members of Congress. H.R. 1379 now has 253 cosponsors. Later that day, advocates gathered for the Rare Disease Legislative Advocates Annual RareVoice Awards. Fourteen-year-old Aidan Abbott from Slinger, Wisconsin, was recognized as the Teen Advocate of the Year for his efforts advocating for ectodermal dysplasias and the Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act on Capitol Hill. I'm proud of Aidan for this tremendous accomplishment, and thank him for his hard work. My hope is that we can keep working to move this bill through the process and become law. It is great to see young people getting engaged on issues that impact them, and I hope Aidan inspires others to fight for what is important to them. Jim and Rosie Clemenson Jim and Rosie Clemenson (VERGAS) stopped by my Washington office this week to connect with my staff aide Rebekah Solem about veterans' issues. A retired Chief Master Sergeant in the Air Force, Jim shared about his more than 40 years of military service, from two tours in Vietnam while in the Army to 25 years with the Air National Guard in Fargo to time abroad on a counterdrug mission, as well as serving in Washington, DC following the 9/11 attacks. I was happy to sign on to a bill supporting our veterans after hearing from Jim and other constituents earlier this year. Honoring our veterans and actively working on their behalf is a key reason why I wanted to serve on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee. Thank you, Jim, for your decades of service to our country and to you and your family for your sacrifice! Ecolab Gabe Pellathy of Ecolab visited my office to discuss domestic and international standards for the use of fumigants in trade. Many nations require commodities and other imports to be fumigated before they enter the country to prevent the spread of invasive pests. Our trading partners have differing fumigation requirements, and some require the use of chemicals that are harmful to the environment. Ecolab hopes to see nations and states modify their requirements away from harmful fumigants and instead utilize environmentally friendly alternatives. National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors Patricia Lovelette and Corey Anderson of National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA) visited my office to discuss the recent passage of the SECURE Act and other issues facing the financial services industry and those saving for retirement. I have enjoyed working with Insurance and Financial Advisors over the years and will continue to work to create regulation and market conditions that best serve the people of western Minnesota who are saving for retirement. American Crystal Sugar Meeting Members and employees of American Crystal Sugar held their 2019 Annual Meeting in Fargo this week. While the 2019 harvest has been a challenge for growers, the co-op and its mission remains strong and there is much optimism for next year. Two long-time members of the Crystal Board of Directors, Bill Hejl and Chairman Curt Knutson, said their farewell to the board and I know how much their service will be missed. I have appreciated their work to make the sugar industry a vital part of our rural economy in western Minnesota and beyond. Military and Veteran Exchange This week, my staff Meg Louwagie attended the Military and Veteran Exchange meeting. The Minnesota Military and Veteran's exchange is a great resource for creating a community and strengthening military and veteran families. United Veterans Legislative Council Meeting My staff attended the United Veteran's Legislative Council (UVLC). The UVLC is a great resource for organizations, federal, city, state legislators, and agencies to educate and learn about resources for veterans and active military. Minnesota Hemp Conference Expo 2019 The Minnesota Hemp Association and Minnesota Department of Agriculture presented the MN Hemp Conference and Expo 2019 at the St. Cloud River's Edge Convention Center. The possibility of industrial hemp attracted growers, seed producers, scientists, processors, manufactures and retailers. Different parts of industrial hemp can be used for paper, cardboard, canvas, carpet, clothing, fabric, rope, netting, textiles, animal bedding, mulch, fiber board, insulation concrete and many other health food items. This is a developing industry with many rules and regulations that need to be worked out over the next few years. U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree On Thursday, the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree was lit up on the west front of the U.S. Capitol. This year's tree is from the Carson National Forest in New Mexico. The tree will be lit from nightfall until 11 PM every evening until January 1st. Legislative Update Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Exports drive our rural economy which is why I joined more than 230 of my Democrat and Republican colleagues and supported a 10-year reauthorization of the critically important Export-Import Bank. The Export-Import Bank helps American workers and businesses compete in the global economy. This September in the Seventh Congressional District alone, the Export-Import Bank provided $1.47 million in financing to support western Minnesota businesses export their products abroad. Questionnaire Results Over Thanksgiving weekend, Minnesota got its first major snow storms of the winter. Parts of the 7th District had over a foot of snow. According to the Department of Transportation, Minnesota spent $133 million on clearing snow last winter. That is equal to what the United States spends serving the national debt every 3 hours. As a fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrat, I have continually supported a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution, which would require Congress to get our fiscal house in order. I have also fought for Pay-As-You-Go legislation to ensure legislation doesn't add to our debt and recently voted against the Democratic budget which would have worsened our fiscal situation. Newsstand USDA Announces CRP General Signup A general signup for USDA's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) begins today, December 9th. Producers have until February 28, 2020 to signup for general CRP, a program that provides a yearly rental payment to producers that take land out of production and establish long-term, resource-conserving plant species to prevent soil erosion and develop wildlife habitat. Producers that have expired or extended CRP contracts, or contracts that expire on September 30, 2020, will receive letters from USDA outlining their options for reenrollment. The 2018 Farm Bill will increase the acreage cap for CRP from 24 million to 27 million over the next 4 years. Landowners that are interested in enrolling in CRP should contact their local Farm Service Agency office. Click here to read more about CRP signup. Renewable Fuel Standard Update I sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) raising concerns about the October rule that failed to uphold the integrity of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The EPA continues to undermine the RFS and hurt farmers and biofuel producers. Click here to read my statement American Agriwomen Elects National Officers American Agriwomen recently elected Karolyn Zurn of Callaway to be its national president during the AAW 2019 National Convention. Karolyn has been a leader for agriculture for many years and I congratulate her on this new role. Karolyn has served as President of Minnesota Agri-Women and grows corn, soybeans, sugarbeets and wheat on the family farm in northwestern Minnesota. Social Security Administration Expanding Field Office Hours The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced that they would be expanding field office hours. This change will have field offices remaining open on Wednesdays from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. In addition to expanding field office hours of service, the SSA will be hiring an additional 1,100 employees to provide service on the agency's 1-800 number to speed up waiting times to better serve the public. This is certainly a step in the right direction for the SSA to provide timely and adequate service to the public that deserves it. If you need service from the Social Security Administration, you can always call the Agency at 1-800-772-1213, or stop by one of their Western Minnesota field offices, located in Alexandria, Bemidji, Marshall, or St. Cloud. As always, if you are encountering difficulties with the SSA, my office is always available to provide assistance. $234,000 in Telemedicine Expansion The United States Department of Agriculture awarded a Rural Development grant to expand access to education and healthcare in rural Minnesota. The CentraCare Health System will receive a $234,648 in a Distance and Learning Telemedicine Grant to address the shortage of specialty care in rural areas. Video equipment will be placed in eight Minnesota counties: Kandiyohi, Meeker, Mille Lacs, Renville, Stearns, Swift, Todd, and Wadena, creating an additional 73 individual patience sites and serving 2,000 patients over a two-year period. Click here to read my press release This Week in History On December 2, 1857, the first Minnesota State Legislature convened. Despite the fact that Minnesota would not be admitted to the Union for another 5 months, the session passed over 90 laws. Henry Mower Rice and James Shields were also elected as the first Minnesota U.S. Senators. A statue of Henry Mower Rice sits in national statuary hall in the U.S. Capitol to commemorate his contributions to Minnesota. | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |