Greetings!

I hope you’re having a great summer – it is tough to believe the school year is nearly here. As we spend the last several weeks of summer with our family and friends, I wanted to take this moment and update you on a few things happening in St. Paul.

Over the past several months, I have had the opportunity to continue meeting with constituents and other groups as we work to craft legislation for the next legislative session. Further, my office is open throughout the year, so be sure to contact me if I can be of any assistance to you or your family.

It is a true honor to represent the people of our communities at the Capitol.

– Jerry Relph

Check out my session wrap!

In case you missed it: my session wrap, detailing what happened during the historically-productive legislative session, is online. I share the good news on tax relief, transportation funding, education funding, and some updates on projects around our community – make sure to check it out by clicking here.

New laws have gone into effect

Beginning July 1 and August 1, many new laws passed during the legislative session – including the state’s two-year budget – have gone into law. You can view details on the new laws here.

Information about license plates, titles, registration

You may have heard about, or dealt with, recent issues with the Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS)’s new Minnesota License and Registration System (MNLARS). The new system was implemented in late July, intended to better handle title transactions, vehicle registration renewals, and license plate issuance, but has experienced downtime and technical problems. If you’ve been affected, here is some guidance from DVS as to what you should do:

• If you completed your transaction online, you will receive your tabs, registrations, or license plates within 5-7 business days. You need to take no further actions.
• If you completed your transaction in-person, you will receive your tabs, registrations, or license plates immediately on-site, or within 5-7 business days. You need to take no further actions.
• If you mailed-in your transaction between July 14 and July 31, you may experience a delay in receiving your tabs, registrations, or license plates. The state is working to expedite these transactions as quickly as possible, with a goal of issuing all outstanding within the next week. You need to take no further actions.
• If you mailed-in your transaction after July 31st, you will receive your tabs, registrations, or license plates without any delay. You need to take no further actions.
• If you have not yet received a tab or title, you need to take no further actions. DPS has informed all local law enforcement agencies that there may be a short delay this month for some vehicle registration and title transactions.

As always, if you are experiencing any unresolved issues with the new system, you are welcome to contact my office and I will put you in touch with the correct person.

Individual insurance premiums

Last month, it was announced that health insurance premiums for those who purchase their plan from the individual market will likely be substantially lower than projected, thanks to the Republican-led reinsurance program that passed this year. The program, which aids insurers in paying the costs of the highest-claim individuals, allows insurers to pass those savings along to other customers. When all is said and done, it is estimated that this year’s premiums will be up to 25% lower than where they would be if a reinsurance program had not passed.

While this is certainly welcome news, there is still much work to be done in reforming the broken health insurance market. As we move toward next session, we will continue to work hard at making health insurance more accessible and affordable to Minnesotans and their families.