OK, I received the text below from a MNUSA officer/friend of mine. He says it's OK to post the info from the MNUSA lobbyist.
Legislator meeting at the St.Paul Kelly Inn postponed until April 15th. Explanation below[/color]
"We were told late today that our legislators have decided to adjourn at noon next Wednesday and go home for Easter break. This eliminates any hope to have any of them attend our legislative reception that evening. We have decided to postpone it until April 15th, same time, same place. Please pass this info on to everyone you know. The latest info we know is below. This is real, please call your legislators at tell them how you feel about this proposed legislation, and ask them to attend our reception being held on the 15th."
The latest status of the MRR_Unrefunded gas tax repeal bills.[color="#FF0000"]
"Doug" is the MNUSA lobbyist.
"........... the status of MRR’s bill SF3087 and the two new bills - HF3781 (authors Jaros, Hornstein, E.Murphy) & companion bill SF3468 (author Marty) that have been introduced that would require that all unrefunded gas tax would remain in the highway user tax distribution fund to be used for highway purposes. The new companion bills would remove the requirement that receipts from gas tax purchased for use in recreational vehicles be deposited in the appropriate dedicated funds. (SF3468 is attached.) This is for watercraft, snowmobiles, ATV’s, off-highway motorcycles and off-road vehicles. These bills have been referred to Transportation/Finance Committees rather than the natural resources committees we usually work with.
There still hasn’t been a companion bill to MRR’s SF3087 introduced or a hearing in committee on SF3087. The first committee deadline is March 14, so time is getting short for this to happen. Doug feels that if the new bill (HF3781/SF3468) doesn’t pass this year, it is the beginning of a multi-year attack on our gas tax. Doug is working with the lobbyists for the other recreational groups on this.
It is important for our members to contact their legislators about our concern with the winter economy, safety and trails if we lose the gas tax. The legislative reception is a good place for the members to meet with their legislators. Encourage them to contact their legislators to meet them at the reception.
MnUSA has received calls from 4 legislators indicating they will be attending the reception. If you have members in their districts, please try to be sure someone will be at the reception to meet with them. If you could let me know who these members are, it would be appreciated. The legislators are:
Sen. Dan Skogen – District 10 (Reg. 9)
Sen. Betsy Wergin – District 16 (Reg. 3)
Rep. Leon Lillie – District 55 (Reg. 6)
Rep. Karla Bigham – District 57A (Reg. 6)
The new issue of Minnesota Snowmobiling is out and it has information on the legislative reception. Although the ad indicates there is a charge to attend, there is no charge for our members. "